A Lone White Rose
by GhostPhoenix113
Summary: Ruby Rose is a new student at Beacon University, and she has already managed to make an enemy. But what happens when the girl she angered winds up being her partner for a project that means the difference between passing and failing? White Rose semi-real world AU.
1. Ch 1: The First Day

Ruby Rose woke up early. It was her first day at Beacon University, and she didn't want to be late. She slowly pulled herself out of bed and walked over to her dresser. Pulling out a plain, black, short-sleeved shirt, she removed the tank top she had slept in and tossed it on to the bed. As she slid the shirt over her shoulders, she looked around for a pair of shorts to wear.

_I suppose these'll do_ she thought to herself as she grabbed a pair of faded blue jean shorts off of the floor.

Opening her door, she crept through the still dark house and felt her way to the bathroom. She stepped in and closed the door behind her, turning on the light as she did so. Sliding her clothes off of her body, she slowly stepped into the shower, turning the water to hot and stood under it for several minutes. As the water flowed through her short black and red hair and petite form, her mind started to wander to the people she knew would be going to Beacon with her.

_Okay, _she though to herself. _There's Yang of course. Don't know what I'd do without her. Then there's her friend Blake. She seems nice, and she likes books, but I've never been able to hold a really hold a conversation with her. I really don't know how those two ended up being such close friends. Then there's Jaune. Ah, Jaune. I really don't know what I'd have done without you there to keep me company back in high school. I just wish he'd stop flirting with me constantly though. I really don't know how many more ways I can say no to him. I could try to go the whole 'I'm a lesbian' route, but I don't want to lie to him, and I certainly don't want to lose him as a friend._

Suddenly, a shout from outside the bathroom grabbed her attention.

"Hey Ruby, how much longer are you going to be? Some of us haven't showered yet, you know!" Her sister called from outside.

"Relax Yang! I'll only be a couple more minutes," Ruby replied, raising her voice just enough to be heard over the running water. "Besides, aren't dad and your mom still asleep?"

"Nah, they woke up a few minutes ago. So, are you gonna hurry up or what?"

"Ugh, fine," Ruby groaned, turning off the water as she did so. "Just give me a minute to dry off before you come barging in here. I don't want a repeat of the first day of high school."

She heard Yang laugh loudly from the other side of the door. "Oh the memories."

"Shut up!" Ruby yelled, her face turning bright red. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was to have you walking in on me while I was completely naked?"

Yang laughed again. "Oh yeah, it was totally embarrassing at the time. Ya gotta learn to laugh at that type of stuff as you get older though Rubes."

Ruby put on her clothes once more and walked out of the bathroom, lightly pushing a still laughing Yang out of her way as she did so. Walking downstairs, she entered the kitchen to find Yang's mom and their dad already sitting at the kitchen table.

"Good morning guys," she said as she grabbed a cereal box out of the cupboard.

"Good morning, Ruby," they both replied, with Yang's mom saying it with slightly less enthusiasm.

"Did you sleep well?" her dad asked.

"Oh, I slept alright," Ruby replied, quietly adding a "wish I could have slept longer though."

"You ready for your first day?"

"Dad, I told you, I'll be fine."

"Okay, just making sure."

Ruby spent the rest of her meal in silence. About halfway through her meal, Yang walked into the kitchen, her blonde mane looking just as messy as before she had gotten into the shower. Ruby listened to Yang get the same interrogation she had gotten, though Yang received a noticeably friendlier welcome from her mother than Ruby had. Quietly excusing herself from the table, Ruby walked back upstairs to grab her backpack. She walked back into her room and pulled the red pack out from under her bed, opening the zipper as she did so.

_Well, looks like I've got everything_, Ruby thought to herself as she went through her pack. _Books, notebooks, pencils, laptop...Yep. That's everything._

Before she put the bag on her back however, she grabbed a somewhat tattered red, hooded jacket out of her closet and slid it over her arms. Smiling slightly to herself at the feeling of the soft fabric over her arms even as a lone tear fell from her eye, she picked up her backpack and walked to the front door to wait for her sister.

"Yang, what's taking you so long?" She shouted after several minutes.

"Geez, relax," Yang called back, even as she started to descend the stairs to the front door herself. "My first class doesn't even start for another couple hours at least."

"Yeah, but mine's at nine, and that's about twenty minutes from now, and you know that it'll take about five minutes to drive there, not to mention finding a parking spot!"

Yang rolled her eyes. "We'll be fine, Rubes. Stop worrying."

Ruby shook her head as she walked out the door. "I just hope the rain holds out until we're inside."

As if on cue, Ruby felt a drop hit her hand, causing her to jump a little. _Well, so much for that_, she thought dejectedly as she got into the passenger seat of the car, and Yang crawled into the driver's.

* * *

Ruby climbed out of the car and looked at her phone.

_8:50._ she thought to herself. _Well, I suppose it could be worse. At least the rain let up somewhat on the way over here._

"I'll see you after class, Yang" Ruby said, quickly giving the older girl a hug.

"See ya soon, Rubes" Yang replied, returning the hug before slowly walking away.

Ruby looked at her schedule to get the room she would need to go to for her first class before taking off in a full blown sprint in the direction she needed to go. Just as she got outside of the building, however, she slipped in a puddle and fell to the ground. Checking herself over and finding that she was unhurt aside from a a minor bruise or two, she was about to get back up when she heard a shrill shout from behind her.

"What do you think you're doing?" came a high-pitched voice.

Ruby turned around to see a beautiful girl with shimmering white hair, a pale face marred only by a scar that went down over her left eye, a white jacket and a pale blue skirt that looked like someone had splashed water on it.

_ Oh no._ Ruby thought to herself.

"Excuse me, are you listening?" The girl continued.

"Umm," Ruby stammered. "Sorry?"

"Sorry? _Sorry_? Is that all you have to say for this?" She gestured to her skirt. "I swear, if this skirt is ruined because of what you've done, I will make _sure_ that you pay for _at least_ one replacement!"

"Umm..."

"Are you deaf as well as stupid? This was an expensive skirt, and if it's ruined, _you're_ going to be buying me one to replace it!"

"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!" Ruby shot back. "What else do you want from me? 'Oh your highness, however will I make up for this transgression!'" Ruby mocked. "'Please, allow me to kiss the ground at your feet, for I am not worthy to be in your glorious presence.'"

"Why the nerve of-" she started. "Ugh! Just...watch where you're going."

With that, the white haired girl strode off, muttering angrily to herself.

_Well, that could have gone better_, Ruby thought dejectedly. She pulled out her phone and looked at the time. She only had another four minutes to get to class, so she took off in another sprint. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Ruby dragged herself into her history class, the last one she had for the day. She was soaked from having to walk through the pouring rain that had begun shortly after her second class had ended. Sitting down, she powered up her laptop briefly just to check and make sure that it had not been damaged by the water, and to her immense relief the computer powered on and was ready for use moments later. Satisfied, she turned the computer off once more and put it back into her pack. As she sat back up, however, she noticed a familiar white haired girl walk into the room, but she either didn't notice Ruby, or chose to simply ignore her, much to Ruby's immense relief. She reached into her backpack into her backpack once more to grab a notebook and her textbook when she suddenly heard someone speak from the front of the room.

"Good afternoon class, I am professor Oobleck, and this is History 112, modern history," The green haired man called out in machine-gun like fashion. "If this is not where you are supposed to be, I strongly suggest that you leave."

As the professor began to drone on about what the class would entail, it occurred to Ruby that she hadn't seen the man when she arrived, and she hadn't seen him enter the room either. As she turned her gaze back to the professor, she noticed that he was seemingly teleporting from place to place within the room. Ruby closed her eyes and shook her head thinking that she must be really tired, but when she reopened them, she watched the man still zipping from place to place around the room. Eventually, when there were only ten minutes left in class, the Professor started on a topic that none of her other classes so far had.

"Finally, you will all have a project that will be about sixty percent of your grade this semester. You will be paired with one other person and your goal will be to research an event from the last fifteen hundred years The topic will be of your choice, so make sure that you and your partner agree on what to do. You will be tasked with writing a research and analysis paper as well as creating a presentation which you will give at the end of the semester. When I call you and your partner's names, please stand." The professor began to call off names, and Ruby had very nearly stopped paying attention when she heard her name called. "Ruby Rose."

Ruby stood from her seat.

"And Weiss Schnee."

The white-haired girl she had 'met' earlier stood from her seat and turned to look at Ruby. For a brief moment, it seemed as the she didn't recognize her, until Ruby saw anger flash across her pale features.

_That's really not a good look for her, _Ruby thought idly to herself as she sat back down. _I'll bet she has a beautiful smile. Not beautiful like that though! Beautiful like... I don't know... Ugh, just shut up brain._

Immediately after he finished calling names, the white-haired girl, Weiss, ran up to the professor's desk, whilst Ruby started to pack everything back into her backpack. Ruby just sat there watching Weiss argue with Oobleck, chuckling slightly when she stamped her foot in frustration when the professor simply waved her off.

"By no means does this make us friends," Weiss said as she grabbed Ruby by the hood of her jacket, causing her to yelp a little.

"Where are you going?" Ruby asked as soon as they left the building.

"The library, to start doing research. Why?"

"Well, my sister is going to be done with class in about fifteen minutes and she's going to be going home immediately afterward."

"So?"

"_So_, she's my ride home, and she's certainly not going to be staying on campus after her class is done. Besides, what are we even going to be researching?"

Weiss stopped short, causing Ruby to almost run into her. "I'm not sure yet," she replied shortly. "I was going to see what the library has before we jump off into a topic."

Ruby thought for a moment before replying. "Well, how about the Faunus war? There's plenty of information on that, and most of what we find should be reasonably accurate given that it was only about one hundred years ago."

Weiss closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Well, my family is quite familiar with the subject, given the company's history with the Faunus. Fine. We'll do it, but that doesn't excuse you from pulling your weight on this project. I sear, if you don't-"

"Let me guess," Ruby interrupted. "You'll see to it that I flunk the class? Or worse? Besides, what 'company' are you referring to exactly?"

Weiss' eye twitched. "My families energy company! You've never heard of 'Schnee Energy?' We provide power to over ninety percent of Vale, _and _ have the world first truly functional fusion energy plant!"

"Wait, so your-"

"The Heiress to one of the largest energy companies in the world? Yes."

"Well, I was going to say a _rich_ stuck up jerk, but that works too," Ruby muttered to herself.

"When will you be on campus tomorrow?" Weiss said, ignoring Ruby's snide remark.

"I have class at nine until a quarter after ten, but I'll be on campus until about one because of my sister's classes."

"What, you don't have another method to get here?"

Now it was Ruby's turn to glare. "We have two cars. My dad needs one to go to work so that leaves only one for both my sister and I. Besides, what are you getting all pissed about? It's not like I said I wasn't going to be here tomorrow."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Just meet me in the library at ten-thirty tomorrow so we can discuss what we're going to be doing for this project. And don't be late!"

With that, Weiss turned on her heels and walked away, leaving Ruby standing alone outside the building.

"Well that could have gone worse I guess," Ruby sighed to herself as she walked to the parking lot to go wait near the car

* * *

"Hey mom, we're home!" Yang bellowed out as she and Ruby walked in the front door.

The blonde haired woman walked into the room and greeted Yang with a hung.

"How was your day, Yang?" She asked.

"Oh, rather boring." Yang replied. "Usual first day junk. 'This is what the rules are, and that is what we'll be learning about this semester'"

"Well, at least you made it home without the neighbor's mailbox this time," Yang's mom laughed.

Yang chuckled a little herself. "Yeah but that was." She paused briefly before continuing, "I don't even _know _how I managed to pull their mailbox out of the ground."

Yang's mom turned around and started to walk away when Yang called out, "Hey aren't you going to ask Ruby how her day went?"

"Oh, right," she replied with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. "How was your day, Ruby?"

"Fine," Ruby replied flatly. "I'm working with someone else on a project on the Faunus war, so I may be away from home a little more often."

"Okay," she replied simply "Have fun Ruby."

Ruby sighed to herself. "I'll be in my room if you guys need me."

Ruby walked up to her room and set down her backpack near her bed. Sitting down at her desk, she turned on her computer. As the desktop screen came up, she debated logging into Grimm Wars Online to see if Jaune was playing, but stopped herself when she thought of Weiss.

_I suppose I should probably go ahead and get some research together for Weiss tomorrow,_ she thought, sighing to herself. _It certainly wouldn't hurt to get started on everything a little early for a project like this._ With that, she loaded up an internet browser, and started her research. She had a long night ahead of her.

* * *

**A/N: Let me guess: "Oh _another_ White Rose University AU, How could this one be any different from the others on this site?" Well, just wait a few chapters, and you'll see. Anyway, for those of you reading this, please don't hesitate to leave a review telling me what you think!**

**Also, for those of you who have read my OC story "Beacon's Shade," That one will be on hiatus until I can figure out exactly where I want it to go. I thought I had an idea, but I kinda lost it to writer's block**


	2. Ch 2: The Project Begins

Weiss Schnee yawned slightly and stretched her arms as she slowly sat up on her bed. In spite of the fact that she had only been living in her new apartment for just over a week now, she had quickly gotten used to not waking up to the grand yet still lonely halls of the Schnee Manor in Atlas. As she stood, she looked at the clock.

_8:0_5, the heiress thought to herself. _Thankfully I don't have any classes today. Still more than two hours before I have to meet that Ruby girl to find out what she didn't do yesterday though. _Weiss sighed slightly. _Maybe I was a little harsh on the girl. I just wish that dunce would have watched where she was running._

Weiss sighed once more. Walking across the bedroom to the bathroom, she slid off her nightgown and stepped into the shower, turning on the cold water as she did so. As the water started to slide down her thin body, her thoughts began turned back to the black-and-red haired girl.

_Thinking about it, she was actually rather attractive. especially her eyes. I've never met anyone before who had silver irises,_ Weiss though idly. _ Not sure why I care though. I'm certainly not a lesbian, and, even if I were, she's not even my type. I'd prefer someone with a little more...refinement than she has. Besides, how old is she? She definitely seems a little young to be attending college, and given her style of dress, I'm fairly certain it would be difficult for her to even afford to be able to pay for the tuition at Beacon._

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she stepped out of the shower and started to dry herself off. Walking back into her bedroom, she pulled a neatly-folded, sky-colored button-up shirt from one of her drawers and slid it over her head. As she finished buttoning up the shirt, she began looking through her drawers to find a pair of pants. After several minutes, she finally settled on a pair of simple black pants. Looking in the mirror and giving herself a satisfied nod, she grabbed the the research she had gathered on the Faunus war and slid it into her bag. She looked at the clock once more.

"9:17," she whispered to herself. "Might as well start walking."

She walked through the doorway of her bedroom into her living area and grabbed her boots from beside her couch as she sat down. She finished lacing her boots up and walked out the door. She walked out of the building and looked up to the street. Immediately on the other side she saw the university itself. Sighing, she began her walk to the library.

* * *

Weiss sat at a table, flipping through the notes she had taken in her classes yesterday when Ruby sat down at the other side of the table.

"Hiya Weiss," she said as she pulled her laptop out of her backpack.

"Hello Ruby," Weiss replied, not looking up. "What did you get for the project?"

"What, no 'How are you?'" Ruby replied with obviously faked surprise, seemingly dodging the question. "No 'How is your day going so far?' No 'Oh, by the way, thanks for getting most of the initial planning done for the project last night?'"

"Oh, would you just shut up and-" Weiss stopped for a moment and thought about what Ruby had finished her tirade with. "Wait, what did you just say?"

Ruby tapped a few keys on her laptop's keyboard. "I got about thirty websites with some good information on the Faunus war, and I narrowed down the list to the eight best. I also found about five books on the matter as well. I was also thinking that we might be able to interview one of my sister's friends, who happens to be a Faunus, about her opinions, as well as the opinions of the general Faunus population, on the war as well."

Weiss stared for a moment, dumbfounded.

"That's...actually very good, Ruby," she said finally.

"Thanks," She replied, with a slight smile.

_She does certainly have a beautiful smile, _Weiss thought to herself. _Wait, what? Ugh, I really need to focus. Besides, why do I care so much anyway?_

"I also managed to get together an initial plan for how we could do the paper and presentation," Ruby continued. "For the paper, I was thinking that we could write it focusing on key points of the war. I was thinking that we could do an analysis of each section from the point of view of the Faunus, one from the Human, and one from our perspective as people looking back on what happened. For the presentation, I was thinking we could do something similar, but in a slideshow, with at least one slide dedicated to each perspective. I put together a couple of outlines if you'd like to look at them."

Ruby turned her computer around so Weiss could look at what she was talking about. She had, in a reasonable amount of detail for the initial planning phase, already laid out an excellent jumping off point for them to begin their research, as well as a pattern which would offer them a reasonably simple paper to write but would still no doubt be well regarded by their instructor.

"That was a lot more than I expected from you," Weiss said quietly.

"Well, what were you expecting?"

"I was half expecting you to have come in with nothing today. No offense."

Ruby sighed. "Weiss, just because I'm not really that great at dealing with people doesn't mean that I can't handle my school work. After all, I wasn't given a full ride to Beacon for no reason."

Weiss nodded. "I gathered as much."

"Y-you did?"

"No offense, " Weiss started, "But given the way you dress?"

"Well, I was also moved ahead a year," Ruby grumbled.

Weiss cocked her head slightly. "You were moved ahead a year?"

"Yup," Ruby replied, popping the 'p' slightly. "Back when I was in middle school, I was moved straight from sixth to eighth grade, and I was also enrolled in elementary school a year early, so I'm only sixteen right now."

Weiss was slightly taken aback. _So, I really was wrong about this girl,_ she thought. _I guess she might actually be a good partner after all. If she can manage to avoid tripping over herself again._

"So, what have you got, Weiss?" Ruby asked.

"I brought some of the old documentation my grandfather had of the war," Weiss replied after pulling the papers out of her pack. "As you may know, the Schnee company was not exactly on the right side of the war."

"What do you mean?"

Weiss sighed and looked down at her lap, feeling slightly ashamed. "My grandfather refused to hire any Faunus workers, or really anyone regarded as a 'deviant' to him, that also included gays mind you, and he even gave preferential treatment to the male workers of the company."

Looking up, Weiss saw a faint look of shock on Ruby's face.

"My father," Weiss continued, attempting to prevent Ruby from getting the wrong impression of her. "has been trying to change the company for the better, including hiring those my grandfather would have refused, and when I inherit the company, I'm going to try to continue on that path."

"Well, that's good," Ruby said, her smile returning a little. "Did you get anything else? For the project I mean."

Weiss nodded, pulling a few more papers out of her bag.

"I actually managed to get my father to send me some scans of the original battle maps used by generals on both sides of the war, as well as some of their personal journals."

"How?" Ruby asked, her mouth hanging slightly agape.

Weiss smiled a little. "Like I said, my family was very involved in the war. It was just a matter of my father calling in a few favors."

"Man, this really blows what I had out of the water," Ruby muttered to herself with a small frown.

Weiss paused for a moment. _She did much more than I did. Why does she think that she did less?_

"No, Ruby, you actually did very well," she said finally, looking Ruby in the eyes and giving her a slight smile. "I personally think that you did even more the me, because you actually had to go and find your information, and you also had to type those plans yourself. I really just had to talk to my father to get what I have."

"Thanks, Weiss," Ruby replied, her smile picking up again.

"Don't get used to it," Weiss replied, rolling her eyes slightly.

"Aw, you love me," Ruby said with a laugh, as she moved her chair next to Weiss' and pulled the heiress into a one-armed hug.

_L-love?_ Weiss' thoughts stammered. _D-did she really just say that?_

"Get off me you dunce," Weiss said after coming back to her senses, pushing the younger girl off of her.

Ruby pouted for a moment and looked like she was about to say something, but she decided against it, and simply placed her hands on the keyboard of her laptop.

"So, I guess we should get started on our research, then?" Ruby asked finally.

Weiss simply nodded, and the pair began to bury themselves in the books, documents, and webpages the had compiled for the day.

* * *

Weiss heard Ruby's phone go off at almost precisely one o'clock. As she pulled the device out of her pocket, she looked at the screen.

"Well, that my sister," Ruby said. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hang on," Weiss replied, "I'll go with you."

"Sounds good. Lemme just save the notes I've got here," Ruby said as she tapped a few keys on the laptop's keyboard.

The pair walked in silence briefly before Weiss spoke up.

"Will you be available to help me compile our notes tomorrow after class?" she asked.

"Well, I'll have to check if Yang'll be okay with staying after for a little while first, but otherwise it should be fine."

Suddenly, there was a shout from nearby.

"Heya Rubes!" a women with excessively long blonde hair called out as she ran over to Weiss and Ruby.

"Hey Yang," Ruby replied calmly before being scooped up in a monstrous hug from the blonde.

"Glad to see you finally making friends and breaking out of your shell!"

"Yang...I'm...dying...let...go." Ruby choked out.

Yang laughed as she put Ruby down.

"Weiss, this is Yang, my older sister," Ruby said once she had regained her breath. "Yang this is Weiss, my partner for that history project I was talking to you and Blake about yesterday."

"It's...nice...to meet you, Yang," Weiss struggled out.

"Well, I wish you luck, Weiss," Yang laughed. "Ruby can be a real klutz sometimes."

"Hey!" Ruby said, her face turning as red as her namesake.

"I've noticed," Weiss mumbled under her breath. "Speaking of that, Ruby, I've been meaning to apologize for yesterday. It occurred to me that I may have been a little...harsh in how I treated you after you tripped."

"Gee, you think?" Ruby muttered, causing Weiss to shoot an icy glare at her. "Kidding! Don't worry about it Weiss. But thanks anyway." Ruby then turned to her sister. "So, Yang, would you be able to stay after your classes are done tomorrow so Weiss and I can work on our project a little more?"

Yang shook her head. "Sorry, no-can-do kiddo. I've got work tomorrow pretty much immediately after we get home. Besides, the campus is supposed to be closing early tomorrow for the holiday weekend."

Ruby sighed with a defeated look on her face.

"Well, she could come over to my apartment," Weiss said instinctively before mentally scolding herself. _Really Weiss? Think before you say things like that!_

"Are you sure? Where do you live?" Yang asked, her stance clearly becoming more guarded.

_Well, I'm down the rabbit hole now,_ Weiss thought._ Might as well see how far it goes._

"I live in the apartments right across the street from here, and I can drive Ruby home when we're done."

Ruby thought for a moment. "Well, I think it could work," she said finally.

Yang sighed. "All right, fine. Just make sure you tell dad and mom that you won't be home until later tomorrow."

Ruby looked down to the ground. "I'm not sure your mom would even really care," she muttered, frowning slightly.

_'Your mom?'_ Weiss thought to herself. _I'm guessing she probably didn't mean for me to hear that. I wonder what exactly is going on with her family though?_

"I'll see you tomorrow, Weiss!" Ruby said, her smile returning as she pulled the white-haired girl into a quick hug.

"Goodbye Ruby," the heiress replied.

* * *

Weiss sat down at the desk in her bedroom after returning to her apartment from dinner, pulling her journal out of one of the drawers as she did so. Opening it to the first empty page and grabbing a pen from the cup on her desk, she started to write

_Dear Journal,_ she began. _It turns out I was wrong about that Ruby girl I was partnered with. She not only gathered a good number of reliable sources for us to research with, but she also gathered together a solid plan for us to start with for our paper and presentation. She also admitted today that she was moved ahead one year, which says quite a lot of her abilities, even if she was very clumsy. For some reason, my thoughts keep somehow drifting to this silver-eyed girl, though I am not sure why. Perhaps I will be able to investigate further later on, but for now I must focus as much as I can on my school work and our project._

_I do find it interesting,_ she continued,_ that, when her sister Yang made a mention of talking to their parents about her coming over to my apartment tomorrow to get some addition work done, that she said 'your mom.' That would suggest that she and her sister do not share parentage. It would, however, be prudent to not inquire further, given her reaction when making said comment._

Sighing, Weiss closed the journal. Placing the small book back into the drawer she had taken out of after marking her page, she stood from her desk and changed into her nightgown. As she gracefully slid into her bed, her thoughts drifted once more to Ruby.

_I can't believe I'm actually thinking this, but I'm actually looking forward to seeing Ruby again tomorrow,_ Weiss thought with a slight smile as she lay under a pale-blue blanket. Maybe this partnership wouldn't be as bad as she originally thought.

* * *

**A/N Well, this story certainly did much better than I was expecting. Thanks to all those who followed and favorited! Please review and stay tuned for Chapter 3: Startling Realizations, within the next couple of days!**

**Oh, and, fun fact, when I uploaded this story, it actually had exactly 2,400 words (and that was without the AN). That has since increased due to some editing and additions, but still rather funny in my humble opinion.**


	3. Ch 3: Startling Realizations

"Ruby Rose, for the last time, would you _please_ focus!" Weiss yelled from her apartment's couch to her partner, who was sitting at the table in the kitchen area staring at the window, causing the younger girl to jump slightly.

"Sorry!" Ruby called back.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Fall break starts _tomorrow_ you dunce, and I won't be back in Vale until next Saturday! So get your head out of the clouds and back into that essay!"

"Sorry Weiss," Ruby repeated, looking slightly ashamed. "It's just...I've had some things on my mind recently."

"Such as?" Weiss asked, glaring at the red-and-black haired girl.

Ruby turned her head away slightly. "I'd rather not talk about it, if that's all right."

Weiss sighed. _Truth be told,_ she thought to herself, _I've actually been having some troubling thoughts myself. _

"Besides," Ruby said as she sat next to Weiss on the couch, snapping heiress out of her train of thought, "this is my third draft of this paper. Odds are pretty good we'll be done long before the end of the semester, so why don't we sit back, relax, and get to know each other better?"

"We already know each other well enough!"

"Oh yeah? What's my major?"

Weiss opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again when she realized that she had none.

"I rest my case," Ruby said with a smug grin on her face.

"Why do you even want to 'get to know me better?" Weiss asked with a sigh.

"Well, we are friends, right?" Ruby asked, her silver eyes widening almost like a puppy's.

_Are we friends?_ Weiss asked herself silently. _I mean, we've never really spent any time together other than project work. But on the other hand, I've spent more time with Ruby than any of the other people who have tried to be 'friends' with me. Plus, I feel comfortable around Ruby, like I could tell her anything and she wouldn't judge me. Ugh, why it so hard to tell what I'm feeling for this immature girl?_

Weiss just sighed. Ruby could be so childish sometimes that she hardly seemed like the same girl who had managed to shock Weiss with her dedication to their project just a few short months ago.

"I...suppose we are," Weiss said finally.

"Woo!" Ruby cheered, shaking the couch slightly.

Weiss sighed again. "_Please_ stop shaking my couch, Ruby."

"Sorry, princess," Ruby said, laughing a little.

"You know I hate that nickname!" Weiss said, anger flashing across her pale face.

"And you still don't know what I'm majoring in," Ruby replied proudly.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Fine, what are you majoring in?"

"Computer science," the red-and-black haired girl replied, beaming.

"Really?"

"Yup. I've always been kind of a dork when it comes to computers, right down to the fact that I built my own computer. Not the laptop I have with me right now, but my desktop that I have at home. I got the parts as a graduation gift, but I really wanted to build it myself."

_I swear, this girl never ceases to surprise me,_ Weiss thought. _She can be_ s_o childish, and then, not even a minute later, remarkably intelligent._

"What about you? What are you going to major in?" Ruby asked.

"Business," Weiss replied, "so that I can take over the company when I'm older."

"I've heard that pretty much just a major you get so you can graduate," Ruby said with a look of curiosity on her face.

Weiss sighed. "It does have some useful skills, such as economics, but overall, it really is not as useful as some specialized majors."

"Okay," Ruby said, thinking. "What about favorite color?"

"Light blue, actually," Weiss said.

"Really? I would have thought you'd say white, considering what you usually wear," Ruby replied, causing Weiss to scowl. "Well anyway, mine's red, in case you couldn't tell."

"I figured, considering the fact that the tips of your hair are dyed red."

Ruby laughed. "That? That's actually natural. Nobody I've talked to can ever seem to figure out why."

"And that jacket you always wear," Weiss said, pointing to the tattered red jacket the Ruby had on. "Why do you wear that all the time anyway?"

Ruby's bright smile disappeared and her eyes turned glassy.

_Nice one Weiss,_ she scolded herself. _You finally have someone willing to honestly refer to you as a friend, and you immediately go and ruin it by not thinking._

"I'm sorry," Weiss said softly after a brief moment of silence between the two. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Don't worry about it Weiss. You didn't know," Ruby said, wiping her eyes. "It's just...This was the last thing my mother gave to me before she died."

"Ruby, if you don't want to talk about this-"

"No, it's fine," Ruby replied sadly. "You're my friend, and you deserve to know. My mother was a member of the Vale military. She gave me this jacket when I was about eight years old. It was far too big for me then, but she said that it reminded her of me, so she got it, and said that I could wear it when I got older. A few days later, she was called away on a mission to Vacuo, so she sent me to live with my dad. That's how I'm related to Yang, by the way. We have the same father, but not the same mother. Anyway, as I was saying, she was sent to Vacuo for a mission, but she never came back. I waited for weeks, but I never saw her. Dad took me in, but Yang's mom wasn't too happy about it. I guess I can understand her feelings though since I'm just evidence that our dad cheated."

A pair tears fell from the girl's silver eyes. Without thinking, Weiss immediately brought the girl into a gentle hug, which Ruby gratefully returned, even as she continued to cry silently into Weiss's shoulder.

"You're a lot more than that, Ruby," Weiss whispered, still holding Ruby gently, yet firmly.

"Thanks, Weiss," Ruby replied, pulling out of the hug and locking eyes with Weiss, while a small smile returned to her face. "You really are a great friend."

It was then, looking into those delicate, shimmering, silver eyes, that all of her actions over the past few months with Ruby made sense.

_Oh my god. I'm gay. And I'm in love with Ruby._

* * *

_I'm...I'm gay,_ Ruby realized, wiping her eyes as she continues to look into Weiss's icy blue eyes. _Or maybe it's just Weiss. Although, that would explain why I was never interested in Jaune's flirting. Darn it, brain, why did you do this to me now? Plus, she's probably straight. Although, I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask if she has a crush._

She opened her mouth to try to ask her question, but then her phone buzzed in her pocket. Sighing, she pulled out the device and looked at it.

"That's Yang," she said, a little angry that she had been interrupted. "See you when we get back from break?"

Weiss sighed. "Well, I'll be getting back next Saturday, so I guess we could do some more work on the project Sunday."

Ruby smiled, even though her eyes were still slightly bloodshot from crying. "Sounds like a plan!"

She stepped through the entrance and into the elevator. After what felt like forever, the elevator arrived at the first floor. Ruby stepped out and walked over to the bright yellow car her sister sat in.

"Hey Rubes!" Her sister called as the Ruby opened the passenger side door. "Everything go-," she stopped when she saw Ruby's bloodshot eyes. "Are you alright? Do I need to hurt Weiss?"

"No! No," Ruby quickly said. "It's just...She wanted to know why I'm always wearing this jacket."

"Oh," Yang said as she started the car. "Did you tell her?"

Ruby nodded. "She's my friend. She has a right to know."

"Not sure how you can be friends with that stuck-up, selfish-" Yang started muttering.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted.

"Just, joking Rubes, seriously," Yang replied, chuckling a little.

The pair rode in silence for several minutes before Ruby spoke up.

"Yang?" she started.

"Yeah Ruby"

"What if...What if I told you I was gay?"

Much to Ruby's immense surprise, Yang just laughed.

"Oh, Ruby," She said, barely able to speak over her own laughter. "I've known that you're gay for _years_ now."

"What?" Ruby asked, cocking her head slightly. "How?"

"Well," Yang started, "First of all, you have literally no hobbies that other girls have-"

"That's not true!"

"You hate shopping, makeup, and talking about boys," Yang challenged.

Ruby sighed. "That still doesn't prove anything."

"Next, you flat out refuse any guy that hits on you."

"I do not!"

"Jaune."

Ruby opened her mouth to respond, but closed it just as quickly.

"I rest my case," Yang said, laughing loudly before glancing over to see her sister's face more red than the flower her last name from. "Seriously though Rubes, I'm totally cool with it. This just means that I, first of all, don't need to worry about beating any guys to a pulp, and that I just have to point out hot girls to you instead of guys."

Ruby smiled and laughed a little. "Thanks, sis."

"Of course," Yang said, smiling as they pulled into the driveway of their house. "When're you gonna tell mom and dad?"

"Well," Ruby said, thinking, "when will you be home next week? I mean, with fall break I'm sure you'll be working more hours, right?"

Yang thought for a moment. "Monday and Saturday."

"Saturday at dinner it is then," Ruby decided.

"Why not Monday? Get it over with."

Ruby hesitated. "I don't know really. I just feel like Saturday would be a better choice."

Yang sighed. "Whatever you say, sis."

With that, the two sisters got out of the car and got ready for the week long break from classes.

* * *

**A/N****: Shorter entry this time, but here to set up the plot for the next couple of entries. Also, I'll be starting up classes again next week so as a result I probably won't be able to update this as often, though I'll try to get at least one per week. As always, please review (even if it's negative). Thanks!**


	4. Ch 4: Confessions Part 1

Weiss stared at the massive, wooden double doors that lead into Schnee Manor. Even though she had lived there most of her life, she always felt lonely looking at the house. Indeed, she never really felt like she could even call it a home.

"Is everything alright, Ms. Schnee?" Someone behind her asked.

Weiss sighed "Yes, everything is fine, Gerald. I've just had some things on my mind recently," she replied politely.

"And, may I ask what is troubling you?"

Weiss looked into the man's eyes. "I must first ask that you not tell my parents, as I am not sure how they will react."

He nodded. "You have my word, Ms. Schnee."

"Gerald, I'm gay," Weiss admitted, looking slightly ashamed.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

The butler smiled. "If that's all that's troubling you, then I'm sure you'll have nothing to worry about, Ms. Schnee. Although, you may want to tell your parents of this."

Weiss nodded. "I was planning on doing so. When will my mother and father be available next?"

"At dinner."

"Then I'll tell them then. Better get this out of the way today rather than have this sitting over my head for the duration of break."

"Would you like me to inform them that you'll have something to tell them?"

Weiss nodded once more. "That will be fine, Gerald. Thank you. I'll be in my room if they need me."

"Very well, Ms. Schnee. And welcome home."

Weiss sighed as she walked through the massive doors. It was going to be a long break.

* * *

Weiss was sitting on her bed when she felt her phone vibrate. As she unlocked the device, she saw the cause was a text message from Ruby.

_Hey Weiss!_ The message read.

_What do you want Ruby?_ Weiss replied.

_I'm booored._

Weiss's face broke out into a slight smile, even as she typed her reply. _And what do you want me to do about that?_

_Entertain meeeee!_

_Dolt._

_Your mean._

_You're*_

_What is it with you and grammer?_

_First of all, grammar*. Second, I don't want to look like an inconsiderate dolt._

_Hey!_

Weiss chuckled. Just as she was about to reply to Ruby, however, there was a knock on her door.

"It's open," she replied with a slight sigh.

"Ms. Schnee," she heard the butler call. "Your dinner is ready."

Weiss sighed once more as the smile left her face. "Thank you Gerald. Please inform my parents that I'll be down in a minute."

"Of course, Ms. Schnee."

Weiss looked at her phone.

_I need to go to dinner, Ruby, _she typed. _I'll talk to you soon._

_Okay!_ Ruby replied. _See you soon!_

* * *

Weiss set her fork down next to her plate, feeling full despite barely having touched her meal. She looked up to see the rest of her family still calmly eating their meals.

_Certainly a far cry from how Ruby eats,_ Weiss thought, recalling the many times she and Ruby had eaten meals at Weiss's apartment so they could work on their project together. _I swear_, _Ruby is almost the exact opposite of me. Opposites attract I guess. Maybe. If she's even capable of feeling the same way about me._

"Weiss, is something bothering you?" Her father asked, briefly looking up from his meal. The man had not been around for Weiss as much as the heiress would have liked, but he was also never truly unkind to her.

Weiss sighed, knowing that this was the moment of truth.

_You can do this Weiss, _she mentally coached herself. _Just two simple words, and then you can hopefully move on. Hopefully._

"Father, mother," she said, desperately keeping her voice as even as possible. "I'm..." Weiss paused again to take a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. "I'm gay."

Her father paused just as he was about to take a bite of his meal.

"I see," he said, before eating the bite Weiss had interrupted.

"What do you mean 'I see?'" Weiss asked nervously.

He set down his fork with a sigh. "Weiss, I have been trying for years now to undo the damage caused by my father's prejudice. It would be...irresponsible of me to not keep the same policies in my own home that I require from the company. Furthermore, you're my daughter. I know that I haven't been the best father for you and your sister, so please allow me to make it up to you by saying this: you may love whomever you wish, whether man or women, on one condition."

"Yes, father?" Weiss asked nervously.

"Do better than I did," he answered, a look of pain flashing ever so briefly through his eyes. "I made a mistake not raising you myself. I don't want you to make the same one with your family."

Weiss's mother nodded.

"I concur," she said, her voice, though level, bore no malice. "We were too...distant to you and Winter. While we may not have any real right to ask this of you, I hope that you do a better job than we did."

For what felt like the first time ever in the presence of her parents, Weiss let a small smile flash across her face. "I will. Thank you both."

* * *

Weiss lay back in her bed and pulled out her phone.

_Hello again, Ruby,_ she typed.

_WEISS!_ was Ruby's reply.

The heiress laughed a little to herself. _She really is like a small puppy_, Weiss thought.

_So, how was your dinner?_ Ruby's next message asked.

_It went...better than I expected,_ Weiss replied.

_How? I mean, you're rich and all, so I don't how you could not have an awesome dinner._

Weiss sighed. _It wasn't the food I was referring to, dunce._

_Why do you keep calling me that?!_

_Because you are!_

_Am not!_

Weiss rolled her eyes. _Aaaanyway, how was your dinner?_

_Great, actually! I'm eating it right now!_

_So why are you texting me?_

_Because I'm eating in my room, princess._

_First of all, STOP CALLING ME THAT! Second, why not eat with your family?_

There was a long pause before Ruby's text returned.

_Well, Yang is at work right now, and dinner when she's not home can be...tense between me and her mom, So I eat in my room to try and avoid it._

_Oh,_ Weiss typed, mentally scolding herself a little for forgetting. _I forgot that you and Yang's mom don't really see eye to eye. I'm sorry._

_Don't worry about it! :) I know you didn't mean anything by it._

Weiss smiled. _I really can't wait to see her again_, she thought to herself, as she allowed her eyes to drift shut. With her admission to her father, there was only one thing that she thought could stand between her and Ruby, and that was Ruby herself. Weiss let out a sigh. _But, even if she doesn't feel the same way about me, I will be there for her no matter what. After all, I promised her when I left today that i would be the best friend that she could ask for. It's the least I can do to uphold that promise._

* * *

**A/N: Another short one here, sorry. Things have been pretty hectic for me for the past couple days, with classes starting again, and all of the associated chaos that comes with that. I promise that the next chapter will be longer, and will really kick the plot into gear. So, to that end, please keep an eye out for Chapter Five: Confessions Part 2, which will hopefully be up by next Monday.**


	5. Ch 5: Confessions Part 2

"So, today's the day you're finally going to tell them?" Yang asked as she and Ruby sat in the living room of their house watching television.

"Yup," Ruby replied. "Over dinner."

"Let's hope mom doesn't lose hers when you tell her the news," Yang said with a laugh.

Ruby glared at Yang.

"Would you please take this seriously?" Ruby replied, giving Yang a little shove. "It's not like I'm just telling them how classes went today!"

Yang let out a long sigh. "Ruby, I _am_ taking this seriously. You just need to loosen up a little. And don't worry, I'll be there for you if-"

Yang was swiftly cut off by the ring of the telephone. Several seconds later, her mother yelled from another room, "Yang, phone!"

"I'll get it in here!" Yang yelled back.

The blonde stood from her seat and picked up the phone from the table next to the couch

"Hello?" she heard Yang ask. "No, no, you're fine...Yeah...Sure...No, it's no trouble...All right I'll be there."

Yang set down the phone with a sigh.

"Sorry, Rubes," She said finally.

"You get called in?" Ruby asked, looking deflated.

"Yup," Yang said, nodding. "Closing too, so I won't be home until late tonight."

Ruby groaned. "Guess that means I won't be telling them tonight."

"Come on, Rubes, you'll be fine," Yang replied with a smile, "Even if I'm not here, you should still tell them."

"But what if your mom-"

"Rubes, you gotta grow up sometime," Yang interrupted. "Honestly, this is a really great opportunity for you to break out of your shell!"

"Ugh, _fine,_" Ruby said with another groan. "But _don't_ expect me to be happy about doing it."

Yang just laughed. "I love you Rubes."

"If you loved me, you'd stay here and help me," Ruby grumbled as she got up from the couch and left a still laughing Yang in the room alone. She walked upstairs and sat at her desk, turning on her computer and unplugging her phone from its charger as she did so. As she waited for her computer to turn on, she thought about texting Weiss. Just as she decided against it, thinking that Weiss was probably in the air flying back to Vale, she felt her phone vibrate.

_I'm surprised that you haven't texted me yet_, Weiss's message read

_I thought you were flying? Are you supposed to...y'know...not use your phones while in flight?_ Ruby replied.

_The Airship landed several minutes ago, dunce._

_I thought you were going to arrive closer to lunch?_

_Well, my flight was a little early, and we caught some favorable winds on the way back. So, here I am._

_How was Atlas?_

_Cold. Though the trip went better than I expected._

_Well, that's good! :)_

_Yes, indeed. Did you get any more work done on the project?_

Ruby sighed before she typed her next message. _Weiss, I've been on break the entire time!_

_And?_

Letting out another sigh, Ruby typed, _Well I wrote a couple of scripts that could help speed up our work on the presentation._

_Scripts?_ Weiss replied

_Yup_, Ruby typed. _A script is like a little program that runs inside another program to help do certain tasks quicker or better than before. Anyway, I wrote a script that can have a new slide set up and formatted for our presentation with the click of a single button, and I also wrote one to auto-play a couple of videos I thought would work well with our topic when we're actually doing the presentation._

_When did you do that?_

_A few days ago_, Ruby admitted, glad that Weiss couldn't see her blushing. _I was a little bored, so I decided to make our work a little easier._

_You did that because you were...bored?_

_Yeah, I sometimes program when I'm bored, and I decided to make something that would help us out with our project._

_Well, that was very thoughtful of you Ruby. Thank you._

Ruby smiled at the complement. _No problem! Were we going to get some more work done on it tomorrow?_

_That sounds good. See you then._

Ruby sat back in her chair. _Hopefully I'll live that long,_ she thought to herself as she remembered what she still had to do tonight

* * *

Ruby pushed her half-empty dinner plate forward on the table.

"Is something wrong, Ruby?" Her father asked.

"No, nothing's wrong, dad," she replied, looking at her plate. "it's just that...well...I've just had some things on my mind is all."

The man looked up from his own plate. "You have been much quieter than usual."

Ruby sighed as she felt her heart begin to beat faster. "Do you promise to not judge me, no matter what I say?"

"Of...of course. You're my daughter."

Yang's mother looked at him with a hint of anger.

Ruby sighed again. "Okay...well...ummm...I...uhhh...I'm...gay."

Her father dropped his fork onto his plate. "You're what?"

"I'm gay," Ruby repeated, her confidence growing a little now that it was out there. "As in, I like girls."

Ruby looked over to Yang's mother, and saw fury in her eyes, even as her face kept a neutral look.

"I want you gone," she said quietly.

"Wh-what?" Ruby stammered, tears already beginning to shimmer in her eyes.

"I want you out of my house," Yang's mom repeated, her voice rising. "You're a _freak_. I will _not_ have someone like that...like...you...living under my roof. I have...tolerated your presence in my house for the past eight years, and I was already tired of seeing that...women's hair and eyes _staring _at me every time I see you. But this? This is just a step too far. I want you gone, freak."

Ruby stared at Yang's mother, as her tears began to stream down her face. She turned to face her father.

"D-Dad...p-please," she stammered out, her voice breaking.

He simply pursed his lips and turned his head away, unwilling to look at Ruby.

Ruby looked back and forth between the two, tears beginning to flow freely. Suddenly, she shot up from her chair and sprinted to her room. She grabbed her backpack, as well as a large, worn travel bag that all of her belongings were packed into when she had first moved in with her father and sister.

_I...I can't believe he did that to me_, she thought between choked sobs as she started shoving everything she had into her bags.

* * *

With a tear filled sigh, Ruby turned around to look at the place she had called 'home' for the past eight years of her life. Ah she stood there with her backpack slung over her shoulders, and her travel bag in her hands, it really hit her. She would never be able to come back here.

_This is it,_ she thought, as more tears continued to flow gently from her eyes. _I'm really alone now_.

She started to wander for what felt like hours. As she looked up, she noticed dark clouds looming overhead.

_Please, no_, Ruby thought desperately. _Please don't make my day any worse than it's already been._

As if on cue, the rain began to pour down. Ruby fell to her knees and looked up to the sky, unable to tell the difference between the tears still pouring down her face and the rain, and screamed, not caring if anyone could hear her. She sat there for nearly a minute before standing once again and continuing her walk. Eventually, she found herself staring at a familiar apartment building, just across the street from Beacon University. Opening the front door slowly, she made her way to the elevator and pushed the button for a familiar floor. Eventually, the door opened to a long hallway. Ruby walked all the way to a single door at the end, and knocked.

"One minute," she heard a muffled voice call through the door.

The door opened, revealing a white-haired girl standing in the doorway.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

**A/N: ****So, this was officially the hardest bit of writing I've ever had to do, and that's coming from someone who routinely waits until the night before a paper is due before even starting it. I can honestly say that I have never actually felt physically sick while writing something until I had to write that little "speech" that Yang's mom gave. I actually had to get up and walk away from my computer while writing it.**

**Anyways, on a lighter note, to all of you who have been followed, favorited, and reviewed, you guys are awesome. Seriously, there is not much that compares to going to look at someone's profile, and seeing your story in their favorites section. Look for chapter six, A Rose Sheltered by Snow, within a few days!**

**Oh, and, by the way, programming because you're bored? Definitely a thing. I do it all the time.**


	6. Ch 6: A Rose Sheltered by Snow

**A/N: Ok, look, I know what you're thinking, "An Author's Note at the beginning?! You idiot! Take me to the story!" *dodges a thrown tomato* I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who gave me such positive reviews for the last chapter. I wasn't really sure if I should post that previous entry, I hadn't really slept well that night, and waking up to find about six brand new reviews, all of them overwhelmingly positive, was just awesome. So seriously guys, thanks a ton!**

* * *

Weiss was sitting on her couch, staring at a blank television screen when there was a knock on her apartment door.

"One minute!" She called out.

With a sigh, she stood from her seat.

_Who could possibly be out this late at night?_ Weiss thought as she crossed over to the door. _Moreover, why would they be here?_

Weiss opened the door to reveal a soaked, red-and-black-haired, silver-eyed girl standing right in the entrance. Her eyes were glassy and bloodshot, as if she had just been crying, and she had an obviously forced smile pulling at her lips.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked, "What are you doing here?"

Ruby stood there, holding the smile for a brief moment, even as a single tear slid down from her eyes. Suddenly, she burst into tears and wrapped her arms tightly around Weiss. The white-haired heiress gently hugged the girl, even as Ruby buried her head into Weiss's neck.

"It's all right, Ruby," She whispered as she pulled one arm out of the hug to close the door.

Weiss gently brought the younger girl over to the kitchen.

"Would you like a change of clothes?" Weiss asked, keeping her voice soft.

Ruby shook her head. "Please don't leave me here Weiss," she said feebly.

"Ruby, what's wrong?" Weiss asked with concern.

"I told my dad and Yang's mom something about myself," Ruby choked out. "Yang already knew, but she really didn't care. But, her mom...she...she yelled at me...insulted me...called me a freak...and after all that was done, she kicked me out."

"What?" Weiss asked, her voice rising a little. _What could possibly motivate someone to throw such an innocent little girl out to the streets? Especially in the rain?_

Weiss moved in and hugged Ruby again, holding her gently but firmly.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, her voice returning somewhat back to normal.

"Yes, Ruby?"

Ruby let out a long sigh. "Is it alright if I stay here for a little while? I don't have anywhere else to go, and I don't have a lot of money. If it's too much trouble I can-"

"You can stay Ruby," Weiss interrupted, giving Ruby a reassuring smile.

Ruby perked up a little. "Thanks, Weiss," she replied. "I can sleep on the couch. It wouldn't be the first time-"

"Which is _exactly_ why you'll be sleeping in my bed," Weiss interrupted again. "Once you change your clothes, of course." Ruby opened her mouth to argue, but Weiss interrupted once more. "No arguing!"

Ruby smiled, even as another tear fell from her eyes. "Thanks, Weiss," she said quietly. "You're a really great friend.'

_Friend_, Weiss thought to herself. _If only you knew._

Weiss gave her another faint smile to hide her own thoughts. "Of course I am, Ruby. You of all people should know that when I'm committed to something, I'm fully committed."

* * *

Weiss awoke the next morning with her neck feeling extremely stiff.

_Ugh, _Weiss thought as she winced, _what did I do last night?_

She opened her eyes and saw she was on her couch.

_Why am I- oh. Ruby. Right._

She stood and flexed her neck. Looking around the main room, she saw her bedroom's door closed. She walked quietly over and opened it. There, curled into a tight ball in the middle of the bed, lay a still-sleeping Ruby. Weiss walked over beside the bed and sat down.

_I hope you'll be alright, Ruby,_ Weiss thought, even as she saw a single tear stream down from the younger girl's eye.

Suddenly, Ruby's phone vibrated. Weiss picked up the device and looked at the screen. It was Yang.

_I guess I could call her myself. Ruby's not awake yet, and I imagine that Yang's worried sick._

With a sigh, Weiss pulled out her own phone and dialed the number Ruby had given her several weeks ago as she left the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end asked after the phone rang once.

"Yang? It's Weiss," Weiss replied.

"Oh, sorry, didn't recognize your number," Yang said with a sigh. "Look, can it wait a little while? My sister got kicked out of the house last night and I need to find her."

"That's," Weiss paused for a moment. "That's why I'm calling actually. Ruby is here at my apartment."

There was a pause on Yang's end. "I'll be there in about five minutes," she said finally.

"Please don't be too loud when you get here," Weiss said as she looked over to her bedroom door. "Ruby is still asleep."

She heard no response as the phone hung up. With a sigh, Weiss walked back over to her couch and sat down to wait.

* * *

Weiss waited for only around three minutes when she heard a knock on the door.

"Coming ," she called quietly.

She opened the door to reveal Yang. Her irises were practically red with fury, and her hair seemed to glow like fire.

"Where is she?" Yang demanded.

"She's in my bedroom," Weiss said quietly. "She's still asleep, so I must ask that you please be quiet."

Yang immediately pushed past Weiss and stormed over to the door. She quickly opened it and looked inside as Weiss walked up next to her.

"I believe she's been like that all night," Weiss said, looking at the girl who was still curled up in a tight ball on her bed.

"You don't know?" Yang asked, her fury starting to die down a little.

Weiss shook her head. "I slept on the couch last night. It would have been...unkind of me to force her to sleep on the couch after the day she had."

Yang nodded as she closed the door to the bedroom once again. The two girls walked over to the couch and sat down.

"So, what exactly happened last night?" Weiss asked.

"What do you know already?" Yang replied.

Weiss gave a short sigh. "I know that she told your dad and mom something about herself, your mom yelled at her, then kicked her out. I do not know why though."

Yang studied Weiss very closely. "Do you promise to not judge her about this, no matter what I say?" Weiss nodded. "Well, last night, she told my parents that she's a lesbian."

"What?" Weiss said, her voice beginning to rise. "That's...That's it? That's why the kicked her out?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah."

Weiss felt raw fury begin to boil up inside of her. "That's a terrible reason to do that! Especially since she's just a child!"

"I'm kinda surprised to hear you say that," Yang replied with her head tilted slightly.

"Yang, my parents actually _fired_ a board member for holding similar views! Furthermore, _I'd_ be a hypocrite if I thought any less of her for that!"

"You'd be a hypocrite?" Yang asked, stifling back a laugh.

_Shit_, Weiss thought. "Yes. Go ahead and make fun of me."

Yang started to laugh quietly. "Oh, man," she said between laughs. "You are going to make my sis's day when you tell her that you're gay too!"

Weiss glared at Yang.

"Seriously though, " Yang said as she calmed down. "You really should tell her. She's going to be feeling really lonely for a little while."

"I will," Weiss said with a nod. "Is there anything you might be able to do in order to smooth things over with your family?"

"Well, I've got a few ideas. At least one of them could be rather comical," Yang replied with a slight chuckle, followed by a sad sigh. "Honestly though, I really don't think there's a whole lot I'll be able to do."

"Well, please, do what you can for her," Weiss said, "When she got here last night, she was practically broken. It...It hurt to see her like that."

Suddenly, the door behind them opened.

"H-hello?"

Both Weiss and yang looked over their shoulders to look to the bedroom. There, in the doorway, stood Ruby. Her eyes were still bloodshot, and her cheeks shimmered faintly with new-fallen tears. Yang immediately shot up from the couch and wrapped Ruby in a tight hug.

"Ruby, I'm so sorry," Yang said, choking back tears herself. "I should have been there. I really should have. You shouldn't have been alone. It's all my-"

"Yang," Ruby interrupted, her voice almost a whisper. "It's not your fault. You can't have predicted how your mom would react."

"I love you Ruby," Yang said.

"I love you too, Yang," Ruby replied, giving the blonde a reassuring smile.

_I cannot believe how strong that girl is,_ Weiss thought. _Even after being thrown out of her own house for simply being different._

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Yang said, turning to leave, "I've got some legs to break."

"Yang..." Ruby said, looking at her sister.

The blonde laughed. "Not really Rubes. I'll text you about how what I'm planning goes when I'm done."

* * *

"So...remind me what I'm doing here?" Blake asked Yang as they walked up to the front door of blonde's house.

"I already told you about what happened to Ruby, right?" Yang asked.

The Faunus nodded. "Yes, you did. I wish I could say that I couldn't believe it, but I've seen firsthand the cruelty that some are capable of. Both Human and Faunus. Still not sure what you want me to do about it though."

"Look, just follow my lead, alright?"

Blake shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Yang opened the door.

"Guys, I'm home!" she bellowed, causing Blake to flinch. "And I've got Blake with me!"

"Welcome back Yang!" She heard her mother call faintly. "And hello Blake! Good to have you back."

Rage briefly flared across Yang's face.

"Could you guys come here for a sec? I've got an announcement for you!"

Yang's mom and dad filed into the entryway.

"What's this about, Yang?" her dad asked.

"Well, honestly, they say actions speak louder than words, so..." Yang stopped and looked at Blake with a distinctly evil grin.

Suddenly, Yang grabbed Blake by the collar and pulled her into a kiss. Blake stood there for a moment, completely shocked by what Yang had just done. Just as the Faunus had fully grasped what she was doing, Yang pulled away, leaving Blake with a blush nearly as red as the tips of Ruby's hair.

"Yang?" said girl's mom questioned. "Did you just..."

"Kiss Blake? Yup." Yang replied, keeping a completely straight face.

"Um...Why?"

"I wanted to see what your reaction would be when your 'treasured daughter' pulled another girl into a kiss right in front of your eyes."

"If you could even call that a kiss," Blake muttered under her breath.

"Still, that doesn't help me with _why_," Yang's mom pressed.

Blake watched as Yang's expression changed from one of neutrality to pure, unbridled fury. This time however, it did not simply disappear as it had when they had walked into the house. The Faunus backed away. The last time she had seen Yang like this was when they had seen Ruby being bullied by Cardin Winchester in the summer before they started eighth grade. If they had been in school at the time, Yang would have been suspended for a week after the beating she gave the boy. As it was, she was grounded for a week when her mom found out what had happened.

"You want the reason why?" Yang asked, her voice dangerously quiet. "That was because of what you did to my sister."

"Your sister?" her mom asked, her tone now much more guarded.

"Yeah," Yang said, her tone so icy that it would even make Weiss flinch. "You know, the girl you threw out of her _only_ home yesterday?"

"I did what I had to," Yang's mom replied. "I was not going to have...someone like that living under my roof."

"Oh, and what about the fact that I _just_ kissed Blake?"

"That's different!"

"Oh? And why is that? Is it because I'm your daughter? Or is it just because you're a pure, cold-hearted bi-"

Blake saw Yang's mom raise her had and swing it at the blonde's face. Just as fast though, Yang brought her own hand up and caught the blow before it could even strike, followed immediately by Yang throwing a punch, landing it just beneath her mother's rib cage. The woman fell to the ground and doubled over, barely able to breathe.

"That was for calling my sister a freak," Yang said quietly, her anger beginning to die down. She the looked over to her dad. "So, will you be letting my sister come back here?"

Her dad shook his head as he leaned down to help his wife up.

Yang looked even more furious now than just before she had thrown the punch at her mother. She started to walk upstairs with Blake before turning around and saying, "Oh, and, for the record, when I'm finally able to move outta here, you guys are not going to hear from me for a _long_ time."

* * *

Ruby sat curled up on Weiss's couch when suddenly her phone vibrated.

_Hey,_ Yang's message read. _Couldn't get them to let you back in. Sorry I couldn't do more for you sis._

_No worries Yang,_ Ruby typed. _I'm sure you did the best you could._

_Will you be all right Rubes?_

Ruby sighed sadly. _Yeah, I guess I will._ Just as Ruby sent that message, she remembered something she had left at the house. _Oh, Yang, I just realized! I left my desktop in my room. Could you please drop it at Weiss's for me?_

There was a brief pause before Yang's reply, and Ruby could almost hear the older girl sighing. _Fine. Be there soon._

"Ruby, what would you like to eat?" Weiss called from her kitchen.

Ruby looked over. "Nothing," she replied, her voice still a little downcast. "But thanks for asking."

Weiss turned around and rolled her eyes. "Wrong answer, dolt. I asked you _what _you would like. You are _not _skipping breakfast."

"Fine," Ruby said. "I guess...just a bowl of cereal will do."

Weiss walked over with the bowl, and Ruby started to eat.

"So, will you be all right, Ruby?" Weiss asked.

Ruby nodded slowly. "I guess. I just wish I could go back to my house."

"Speaking of that," Weiss said. "Yang told me why you were kicked out."

"She-" Ruby stammered out nervously, "She what?"

Weiss nodded and gave Ruby a small, reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I don't hate you, dunce. I just wanted you to know that...well...you're not the only one in this room."

"What do you-" Ruby paused. "But there's no one else-" another pause, this time longer. Suddenly, Ruby's eyes got large as she realized what Weiss was trying to say. "Wait a minute, so you're also..."

"A lesbian?" Weiss offered, to which Ruby nodded. "Yes, I am."

Ruby threw her arms around Weiss, smiling brightly. "Thanks for understanding Weiss," Ruby said, choking up a little again. "You really are awesome."

"Get off me, you dunce," Weiss said, though her voice had no malice.

"Sorry," Ruby said with a slight smile. "You still don't mind if I stay here for a while, right?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Of course not, you dolt. What kind of person would I be if I just threw you onto the street?"

Ruby chuckled a little. "Don't worry, I'll try to look for my own place when summer comes around. I'll be out of your beautiful hair soon enough."

Weiss hit Ruby in the shoulder, even as her face turned bright red. "You _dunce!" _she practically yelled. It was going to be a long few months.

* * *

**A/N: Let me guess: "TWO A/N's in one story?! This is an outrage!" *dodges thrown orange*. Anyways, humor aside, yes, I totally just teased Bumbleby there. I was thinking about teasing and the just torpedoing the S.S. Bumbleby, but I decided against doing that immediately. So, to that end, there will be a poll on my profile for about one week as to whether or not Bumbleby should be a thing in this story. Please note that the S.S. White Rose will still be the lead ship (lol bad pun) but Bumbleby being a thing will change a few scenes that I have planned for later.  
**

**So, with all that out of the way, please look for Chapter 7: Welcome Back within a few days! (hopefully)**


	7. Ch 7: Welcome Back

Ruby sat up on the air mattress next to Weiss's bed and looked around the still-dark room. She stood slowly, and crept over to her still-packed bags to find something to wear. Eventually settling on a black t-shirt with a rose emblazoned on the front and a pair of dark blue jeans, she went into the bathroom to change out of her night-wear.

_Y'know,_ Ruby thought to herself with a slight laugh as she slid off her tank-top, _just a few weeks ago, i would have been perfectly fine with changing in front of Weiss. How quickly things can change when you're gay._

After several minutes, she cracked the door to see the white-haired heiress still sleeping soundly in her bed. With a slight sigh, Ruby turned off the light in the bathroom and exited to the living area. She sat down at the small table she and Weiss had set up for her computer the day before, and turned the machine on. Not even a minute later, the machine was ready to go.

_Gotta love that SSD _{**A/N***} Ruby thought to herself with a slight smile. She pulled up her college e-mail and looked through it. _Spam...Spam...Spam...Not important...Oh, going to have to tell Weiss about that_. Ruby rubbed her eyes. _Ok, brain, anything else I should take care of here? _Ruby paused. _Nope, even got my homework done earlier in the break._

After a brief pause, Ruby clicked the icon on her desktop for Grimm Wars Online. The moment she was logged in, she was immediately greeted by a private message.

_Well, hello there, my beautiful flower_, it read.

_Jaune, I told you to stop calling me that_, Ruby replied with a sigh.

_Why?_

_IT'S CREEPY!_

_Jeez, fine. I won't call you that anymore._

_You said that the last time too._

_I'm serious!_

Ruby rolled her eyes. _Yeah, you said THAT as well._

Just as she was about to start questing however, she heard the door open behind her.

"You're up early," Weiss commented tiredly as she walked over to the kitchen.

"Eh, I usually get up early on Mondays." Ruby replied with a shrug. "Oh, by the way, e-mail from Oobleck. History's been canceled for today."

"Really?" Weiss stated.

Ruby nodded. "Yup. Apparently he's sick, so he won't be in class today."

"Has he posted a replacement assignment yet?"

"No. The e-mail said he'd post it at about noon."

Weiss nodded.

"By the way," Ruby said, standing from her chair and walking over to Weiss. "Thanks again for letting me stay with you."

"Of course I let you stay with me, you dolt. I wouldn't be a very good friend if I didn't, now would I?"

Ruby smiled and gave Weiss a brief hug. "So, I'll probably be staying on campus after my last class today to see a few of my other friends. Would you like to come with me?"

Weiss sighed. "You do know that we didn't get _any_ work done on our project yesterday, right?"

"Well, since I'm kinda staying here for now, we'll have a lot more time to work. Plus, the last couple days have been kinda...well..." Ruby started to tear up again.

Weiss looked away from Ruby. "I'm sorry, that was unkind of me."

Ruby gave Weiss another smile, even though a single tear began to slide down her face. "Don't worry about it Weiss. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Weiss sighed once again. "Alright, fine. But we will _not _be spending a lot of time there, because we need to get this project finished!"

"I know, Weiss, and we'll be fine, so stop worrying."

* * *

"She did _what_?" Jaune asked, raising his voice a little.

"She kicked me out," Ruby said matter-of-factly. "Simple as that."

"Why would they do such a thing?" Pyrrha asked.

Ruby sighed. "I'd...Rather not talk about it. If that okay with you guys."

"Do you want us to break her legs?" Nora asked, an evil grin plastered on her face.

"Nora..." Ren said with a groan, not looking up from his book.

"Yes, Ren?"

"What did I tell you about breaking people's legs?"

"Don't do it unless they hurt one of my friends?"

Ren slammed his head onto the table, eliciting another grin from Nora.

"Well," Jaune said after a brief pause, "if you need a place to stay, I'd be more than happy to let you crash with me. For as long as you need."

"It's alright," Ruby said, trying to prevent Jaune from pushing his attempt any further. "I'm already staying with Weiss for now. At least until I can find my own place."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm sure ice queen over there-"

"Hey!" Weiss interjected.

"-will probably want you to get you own place sooner rather than later, and I'm sure I can convince my parents to let you stay with me for as long as you need."

Ruby let out a sigh. "Jaune, could I talk to you for a minute?"

They walked over to an isolated corner of the cafeteria.

"So, what's up beautiful?" Jaune asked. "You can tell me anything, ya know."

Ruby looked him squarely in the eyes. "Jaune, I'm gay."

Jaune's mouth hung open. Ruby thought she even heard glass shattering.

"Sorry!" Someone nearby called. "Dropped a hotsauce bottle."

Ruby glanced back, then turned again to look at Jaune. "Are you all right?"

"You're-" he paused. "You're gay?"

"Yup. "

"Really?"

Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Really, do I need to drag another girl over here and kiss her just to prove it to you?"

"Ummm..."

Ruby smacked him in the arm and walked back to the table with a sigh.

"Is everything all right Ruby?" Pyrrha asked as Ruby sat back into her seat.

"Yeah," Ruby replied with a nod. "It's just Jaune is being a little...difficult."

"How am I being difficult?" Jaune asked as he sat back down as well. "I mean, seriously, how was I supposed to know you were a lesbian?"

The entire group sat in stunned silence, and Ruby stared at Jaune wide-eyed. _Ohmygodno_ she thought desperately. _He didn't really just..._

"What?" Jaune said. "Oh. Ummm...whoops?"

Ruby continued to sit silently.

"Ruby's gay?" Nora blurted

Ruby slammed her head on to the table. "Yes, Nora," she said quietly.

"Would that be why you were forced to leave home?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah."

"That's...that's atrocious," Pyrrha whispered. "I can't believe that they would stoop so low. Who you love is none of their business."

Ruby looked up. "Thanks, Pyrrha," she said with a small smile.

The firey-haired girl gave a short nod and a smile. "Of course, Ruby." She then looked over to Ren. "You've been awfully quiet about this, Ren."

"Really was pretty obvious," he said, not even looking up from his book.

"Yeah, that's what Yang said too," Ruby grumbled as she started to blush. "Now could we _please_ stop talking about my gender preferences?"

"Of course," Pyrrha said, giving Ruby a reassuring smile.

"Thanks," Ruby said with a gratified sigh. _Here's hoping the rest of lunch isn't this eventful._

* * *

"I can't _believe_ that...what was his name?" Weiss fumed as they crossed the street to Weiss's neighborhood.

"Jaune?" Ruby offered.

"Yes, him! He _clearly_ doesn't know when to take a hint!"

Ruby sighed. "Now you know how I've felt for the past couple years of my life."

"How did you put up with it?"

"Mostly I just ignored it," Ruby said as they entered the neighborhood.

"Well, considering he said he'd bring a guitar next time, that may be...difficult to do."

"Well, you could always end his flirting similar to the way I did."

Weiss stopped. "Really? You want me to just blurt out that I'm gay?"

"Well, I didn't exactly blurt it out," Ruby muttered as she kicked a rock down the street. "The blurting was all him. Plus, it's not like that would be the only way to let him know."

"Oh? and what else could I do to get him to lay off?"

"Well," Ruby said, thinking, "You could drag a cute girl over to the table and kiss her. That might shut him up." _And I'd even volunteer_, Ruby added silently.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Fine, let him flirt with you then." Weiss shot a glare at Ruby. "Anyways, how much more do you think we need for the project?"

Weiss thought for a moment. "Well, I believe we still need to finish the presentation, which means that we still need to do that interview with Blake, plus we should probably do one final draft of the paper."

Ruby nodded. "Shouldn't be too hard," she said, starting to walk again. "I think we should be able to finish by the middle of November."

* * *

**A/N: Story notes:**

*** A SSD (Solid State Drive) is a data-storage device that uses an integrated circuit to store data instead of a disk. Has less storage space than a traditional HDD (hard disk drive) but has significantly improved access times. One common use is to install the OS onto an SSD to allow the computer to boot virtually instantly, then install all other software onto a separate drive (my desktop is actually set up this way as well).**

**Just so you guys know, the Bumbleby poll is still up on my profile. I'll probably close it after I post the next chapter to this story, which should hopefully be fairly soon after this one. As always, thanks to all of you who have followed, favorited, and reviewed! And, for those of you who might be wondering when I'll be getting into the real WR fluff, don't worry, it'll be here soon enough! Look for Chapter 8: White Rose Blooming in a few days!**


	8. Ch 8: White Rose Blooming

"Hey, Weiss, you want to come give this paper one last read through?" Ruby called from her computer.

Weiss got up from the desk in her bedroom and walked up behind Ruby. She placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder to balance herself as she leaned in to get a closer look at the screen.

_Ohgodohgodohgod_, Ruby thought as she began to feel Weiss's soft breaths on her neck. _She's so close! What do I do? Do I say something? Do I-_

"Ruby, are you all right?" Weiss asked as she looked at Ruby.

"Huh?" Ruby said just as she realized she was starting to sweat. "Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. It's just ummm...It's just a little warm here because...of...my...computer?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Well, anyways, I'd say that we're about done with it. There's always more we can add, but I'd say this gets our point across well enough. Presentation is almost done as well if you'd like to come take a look at it."

Ruby stood from the chair and followed Weiss into her bedroom.

"Ready?" Weiss asked as she sat down in her chair.

Ruby nodded. "Go ahead and play it."

Weiss scrolled through the slides slowly enough that Ruby could read through them, though she did skip through the videos, since both of them had seen them already.

"Looks good," Ruby said with a nod when they reached the last slide. "I think that we might actually be done with this thing. Sooner than we thought, too. We've still got another few weeks before we present, since we're up on the twenty-seventh."

"Honestly, I'm quite surprised that we managed to get this done so quickly," Weiss said as she stood from her chair and turned to look at Ruby.

"Why?" Ruby asked.

"Well, first of all, you complain whenever I tell you that we need to get to work-"

"Hey!" Ruby interjected.

"And," the heiress continued, ignoring Ruby's interruption, "I also thought that I'd hate working with you."

"You did?" Ruby asked.

Weiss nodded, a faint blush evident on her face. "Yes. After how we first met, I was...less than enthusiastic about working with you, as I'm sure you saw. I thought your sense of direction extended to your work ethic as well."

"What about now?" Ruby asked with a slight smirk.

"Well," Weiss said, her blush beginning to deepen, "I've actually enjoyed working with you, and you've been a very good friend over the past few months as well."

Ruby gave Weiss a light hug. "Don't forget, you've really been there for me as well," she said, starting to blush herself. "I mean, you've been letting me stay with you since I got kicked out of my house."

"Of course I did, dolt," Weiss said as she pushed Ruby off of her. "I love you."

_What? _Ruby thought. "What?"

Weiss stared at Ruby for a moment, trying to comprehend what the girl was saying. Suddenly, it dawned on Weiss what she had revealed to Ruby.

"Oh," she said. "I...uhh..."

Suddenly, Ruby interrupted the white-haired girl by pulling her into a deep kiss. Weiss stood there wide-eyed, unable to believe what was happening. It was somewhat painful, Ruby's clear inexperience showing, but Weiss still loved it none the less. Just as she felt Ruby start to pull away, however, Weiss wrapped her arms around the younger girl and returned the kiss. She continued to hold Ruby as close as she could until they both finally ran out of breath, and had to pull away from each other.

"So...That happened," Ruby stated when she finally caught her breath.

Weiss sighed. "Really? That's all you can say about the fact that you _just_ kissed me?"

"Well, you kissed me back!" Ruby protested.

"Dolt," Weiss muttered.

They stood there silently for another moment.

"So," Ruby said finally, "Does...Does this mean that we're..."

"We're what?" Weiss said looking slightly annoyed.

"Well," Ruby paused. "Are we together? Y'know, like _together_ together?"

"Oh for f..." Weiss started before grabbing Ruby by the collar and pulling her into another kiss. Ruby stood for a moment wide-eyed before finally melting into Weiss's embrace.

"Oh," Ruby said after they pulled away again. "Ummm...I uh...I guess that settles it then."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Stupid lesbian," She muttered.

"Hey!"

"Well, you still haven't asked me out," Weiss said, smiling a little smugly.

"You just insulted me!"

"And?"

Ruby sighed. "Weiss Schnee, will...Will you go out with me?"

Weiss's smile warmed. "Yes I will, dunce."

Ruby wrapped Weiss up in a bear hug that would put Yang to shame.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to ask that!" Ruby practically shouted.

"Then why didn't you?"

"Umm...Well...You didn't either!"

Weiss rolled her eyes again. Both girls stood there staring at each other silently for a moment.

"So, what are we going to tell the others?" Ruby asked.

"Others?" Weiss asked.

"Y'know, Jaune, Pyrrha, and the rest of the gang."

"I'm not so sure that we should."

"Why not?" Ruby asked, tilting her head a little.

"I'm just not sure how they'll react," Weiss replied, looking away slightly.

"Hey, they were just fine with me being gay. I'm sure they'll be totally fine with you." Weiss opened her mouth to protest, But then Ruby interjected again. "Plus remember: 'I shall melt the pure, delicate snowflake that is your heart, my beautiful snow angel.'"

"Good point," Weiss muttered. "So, what's your plan?"

Ruby thought for a moment. "Well, with certain members of the group, subtlety tends to be about as effective as trying to win a fistfight with Yang." Suddenly, an idea crossed into Ruby's mind, making her grin evilly. "Hey, Weiss. Remember when I told you that you could get Jaune to stop by dragging a cute girl over and kissing her in front of him?"

* * *

Ruby and Weiss walked into the college cafeteria, and went directly over to the table where they always met their friends.

"Hey Ruby," Jaune said. "And hello there, snow angel."

"About that, Jaune," Weiss said, concluding with a dramatic pause, even as an evil smirk began to make its way across her face.

Suddenly, she pulled Ruby into a deep and passionate kiss, which the latter girl returned without hesitation. As they broke away, they turned over to see Jaune sitting there with his mouth hung wide open, and the rest of the group either applauding, laughing, or, in Yang and Nora's case, both.

"W-what?" Jaune stammered.

"Well, that was a thing," Yang said in between laughs.

"Certainly took you two long enough," Blake commented, not even looking up from her book. "I swear, you two are almost as bad as some of my romance novels."

Ruby and Weiss both blushed. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," Weiss muttered.

"Well, at least Jaune will get off your back now," Ruby said, giving a small wink to Pyrrha, who responded with a smile.

"Well, who am I supposed to be with then?" The blonde asked, completely oblivious to the girl beside him.

Pyrrha cleared her throat loudly, causing Jaune to look over to her with a questioning look.

"Everything all right, Pyrrha?" he asked.

"Fine, Jaune," she replied with an exasperated sigh.

"Pyrrha, a word?" Weiss asked.

The two girls stood from the table and walked to a quiet corner of the cafeteria.

"What's this about, Weiss?" Pyrrha asked when they finally arrived.

"That idiot Jaune," Weiss muttered in reply.

"He's not an idiot, he's just...unobservant?" Pyrrha offered.

"Painfully so," Weiss said with a nod. "Well, anyways, I just wanted to give you a bit of advice."

"Thanks, I could really use it," the fiery-haired girl said with an exasperated sigh.

"With someone like Jaune, you need something that's about as subtle as a boot to the face. You're never going to get his attention by just hinting at the fact that you care about him as more than a mere friend. It took both Ruby and I kissing twice, plus me prompting her, last night for her to finally to finally decide to ask me out. You may need to try something similar to get the fool's attention."

Pyrrha sighed heavily. "You're plobably right."

"Honestly, I don't know what you see in him though," Weiss grumbled as she made her way back over to the table.

"Well, he's nice enough," Pyrrha replied.

"Well, I wish you luck. It looks like you'll probably need it," Weiss stated as they sat back down at the table.

"Wish her luck with what?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, nothing," Pyrrha said, as a sly smile began to creep across her face. "Just some...plans for the future."

"Anyways," Yang said leaning back in her chair, "I was just about to ask Ruby what you two were planning for your first date."

Ruby and Weiss blushed again. "We didn't really get a chance to talk about it," Ruby said.

"Well, there's a place up a few blocks from where you guys are called 'The Snow-Covered Rose Garden' or something like that," Blake said, glancing up from her book. "Supposed to be very expensive, but I'm sure the Ice Queen-"

"Hey!"

"-over there should be able to handle the cost."

"Sounds like a date!" Ruby said with glee as she wrapped her arms around Weiss.

The heiress rolled her eyes. "Get off me, dunce." Ruby sat back into her own chair. "But yes, it does sound like a good idea, and I have heard very positive things about the place I guess we'll go this weekend. Thank you, Blake."

The Faunus smiled. "Of course. Have fun, you two."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about this chapter being a little later than I expected it to be. Had to deal with a physics lab that I had to deal with combined with other assignments, in addition to the fact that I didn't like how the initial WR kiss worked out. Meh. Anyway, a little explanation for how the calendar works for Beacon: It's rather similar to my own schools in that fall semester goes from mid-August to early-December, with fall break being mid- October, and Spring goes from mid-January until early-May, with Spring Break being between mid-March and early April. Right now it's the first week of November, so there is about one month left in their semester.**

**Also, I have the final tally for the Bumbleby poll, and the result is: going to be revealed at a later chapter. Yeah, I'm a horrible person, and, plus, I imagine you all could probably guess the result. It was a lot closer than I thought it was going to be though.**

**At any rate, watch for the next chapter: Date Night, coming in (hopefully) a few days!**


	9. Ch 9: Date Night

Ruby looked at herself in the mirror. "Remind me again _why_ I have to wear this...thing?" she shouted through the bathroom door.

"Because we're going on a date you dolt!" Weiss shouted back. "And I will _not_ have you dressed in those rags you normally wear when we're going out somewhere nice!"

"Well, could we have at least gotten me a dress shirt and pants? I look terrible in a dress!"

"I'll be the judge of that. Which I can't do properly considering I haven't even _seen_ you yet!"

Ruby rolled her eyes and opened the bathroom door. Weiss stood immediately outside, clothed in a shimmering, white dress that ended just above her knees. The white-haired girl eyed Ruby's short, crimson dress carefully, looking at each and every detail before looking into her eyes and giving her a smile.

"You look great, Ruby," she said.

"I'm glad one of us thinks so," Ruby muttered. "Not to mention these stilts. How you manage to walk around all day in these is beyond me."

"Lots of practice," Weiss replied smugly. "Now come on, our reservation is at six, which is about ten minutes from now."

"It'll probably take me that long just to get to the elevator," Ruby muttered again.

"Well, then, hurry up, dunce!"

Ruby rolled her eyes and began to stumble her way to the apartment door. They opened it and walked to the elevator. As they stood in the small space, Ruby gently wove her fingers into Weiss's and gave the latter girl's hand a light squeeze.

"So," Ruby started, "This is my first date."

Weiss looked at the girl. "Really?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. None of the guys around Signal High were ever interested in me. Well, except for Jaune, but..."

"But he's an idiot?" Weiss offered.

Ruby chuckled and shook her head. "Originally it was just because it always seemed like Pyrrha was much more interested in him than I was. Then it was because I was gay, and finally because I had my eyes set on someone else."

"Oh? And who exactly was this someone else?"

"Well," Ruby said with a sly smile, "She has eyes that are the color of ice crystals, long, flowing white hair, she's somewhat cold, and sometimes is a bit of a jerk, but she has a nonetheless caring personality, and she just happens to be holding my hand right now."

Weiss blushed a deeper red than Ruby's dress. "Dolt," she muttered.

"And yet, here you are," Ruby said with a grin as she shifted a little closer to Weiss.

"Sometimes I wonder why," Weiss muttered as the elevator door opened. "Come on let's get out to the car before you make us any more late than we already are."

* * *

Weiss pulled her car into a parking space near the entrance to the restaurant. She opened her door and walked around to Ruby's side. She opened the door and held out a hand to help Ruby stand, which the latter girl gratefully took. The couple walked into the entrance still holding hands.

"Excuse me," Weiss said to a woman standing at a small podium as they entered the building, "I have a reservation under 'Schnee.'"

"Of course," she replied. "If you will please follow me."

They walked all the way to an isolated corner of the dining room to a lone table with two chairs that had a single white rose in a small vase in the center of the center of the table.

"Your server will be out in a few minutes to take your orders, Miss Schnee and Miss...?"

"Rose," Ruby said politely.

The woman nodded. "Of course. Please, have a pleasant evening, Miss Schnee and Miss Rose."

Ruby went to sit down, but found her path blocked by a certain heiress, who pulled the chair from under the table, and gestured for Ruby to sit down.

"So," Ruby started as Weiss sat down across from her, "what's up will all this 'chivalry' stuff?"

"Proper etiquette," Weiss stated. "It's customary to pull out the seat for your date to sit in, especially in a more... 'proper' setting such as this."

"Yeah, but..." Ruby chuckled, "Isn't that usually the guy's job? Or are you..."

Weiss flushed a brilliant shade of red. "Don't go _any_ further with that train of thought or I _will_ end you, Rose." She said, her voice dangerously quiet.

Ruby shrank down into her chair. "Sorry Weiss," she said, smiling innocently. "It's just that-" Ruby stopped staring at something in the background. _Is that...Blonde hair, not quite as long as Yang's...Violet eyes... Yup, that's her_.

Suddenly, Ruby reached across the table and pulled her girlfriend into a deep kiss. Weiss sat there for a moment, startled before succumbing to what her girlfriend was doing.

"Okay, so, not that I mind," Weiss said, blushing a little, "but what exactly was that about?"

"Look at the table to your left," Ruby said, pointing discreetly.

Weiss did as she was asked, and followed Ruby's finger, to where she saw the same woman Ruby had seen just before she pulled Weiss into the kiss. Noting that the woman looked absolutely furious, Weiss turned back to face Ruby.

"Is that Yang's.." Weiss started.

"Mom? Yeah." Ruby said.

"The same person who kicked you out of your home?"

"Well, I wouldn't really say 'home' anymore," Ruby muttered, "But yeah, same person."

"Well, in that case," Weiss began.

Suddenly she pulled Ruby into a kiss, Ruby replying in kind much more quickly than Weiss had. Ruby opened one eye and glanced over to Yang's mother and their shared father just in time to see the former practically leap up from the table and storm over to Weiss and Ruby's table, leaving Ruby's father sitting alone at the table, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Just _what_ do you think you're doing, you freak?" she asked furiously.

"Kissing my girlfriend, why?" Ruby replied innocently.

"I _really _hope you don't think that provoking me in such a manner will make me change my mind about me putting you where you belong!"

Ruby stood from her seat and placed her face mere inches away from her assailants.

"I don't _want_ to go back!" she whispered. "Even before you threw me out to the streets, you already made sure that house wasn't a home anymore!"

"So why did you try to provoke me then?"

"She wasn't trying to provoke you, she was merely demonstrating her affection for me," Weiss stated.

"And just who do you think you are?" Yang's replied, turning to face Weiss.

"Weiss Schnee," she replied, her tone cold enough to freeze the sun. "Heiress to Schnee Energy, Ruby's girlfriend, and a potentially _very _expensive lawsuit if you continue to harass us."

Yang's mother stood there for a moment. She opened her mouth to reply, but instead merely turned around and stormed out of the restaurant. Ruby's father shot a disapproving look to the couple, and the proceeded to slowly follow his wife out.

"Well, that was fun," Ruby said happily as she sat back down.

"Indeed," Weiss nodded as she looked down to the menu. "So, have you decided what you would like yet?"

"No," Ruby said sheepishly.

"Dunce."

"I was distracted!"

"And you still haven't decided what you want to eat."

"Only because you're so distracting," Ruby muttered as she looked down to her own menu. "Is there anything you'd recommend?"

* * *

Ruby pushed her empty plate forward on the table.

"Y'know, I was a little skeptical, but that garlic chicken was actually really good," She stated.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I told you that you'd like it."

"Would you ladies like anything for dessert?" the waiter asked as he walked up to the table.

"No thank you," Weiss said, leaving Ruby looking crestfallen.

"Very well, I will be right out with your check."

"Weiss..." Ruby whined when the waiter walked away.

"If you would stop whining for a moment, you'd hear that I was _planning_ on making cookies when we got back to the apartment," Weiss stated. "But if you're going to be like that..."

Ruby immediately perked up. _I swear, she is exactly like a puppy_ Weiss thought with a slight chuckle.

"What?" Ruby asked with her head cocked.

_Yep, exactly like a puppy_. Weiss thought again. "Oh, nothing. Just how you act sometimes."

"What do you mean 'how I act sometimes?'"

Weiss simply answered by giving her a brief kiss, leaving the younger girl blushing lightly.

"Still didn't answer my question," Ruby muttered as the waiter returned.

"Your check, ma'am," he stated.

Weiss took the small pad and looked over it.

"How much, Weiss?" Ruby asked as she pulled out her wallet.

"None of your concern," Weiss replied.

"Wha-"

"Ruby," Weiss said with a sigh, "I don't want you to have to worry about not having enough money to be able to live for yourself. I can cover dinner for us."

"Ugh, fine," Ruby muttered.

"Good girl," Weiss stated as she gave the check back to the waiter, along with a generous tip. "Come on Ruby, let's get going."

* * *

"Well, that was fun," Ruby stated as she sat down on the couch, "Glad to be out of those stilts though."

"Say what you will," Weiss replied as she sat down next to Ruby, "But you actually looked quite beautiful. Certainly a nice change from your usual style."

"Thanks, Weiss," Ruby said, smiling and giving Weiss a brief hug. "You looked great too."

They both sat there silently for several moments.

"You seem to be doing better with what Yang's mom did to you," Weiss said finally.

"Yeah," Ruby replied, though her voice still sounded slightly sad. "Can't really change the past. Plus, I managed to get a girlfriend out of the deal, so I'd say I came out ahead."

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"So, about those cookies," Ruby said, giving Weiss a gentle nudge.

"You are _so _childish," Weiss sighed, even as a smile started to pull across her face.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway," Ruby replied with a broad smile.

_Yes, I suppose I do,_ Weiss thought.

* * *

**A/N: So...Yeah...Here's this chapter. Weiss and Ruby are finally dating. Lost the little bit with Yang's mom when I went to save it. meh.**

**Before I go though, I've got a couple of things for you guys:**

**First of all, 100 follows. Yeah. That's a thing. Seriously guys. That's awesome. So, to that end, I'd like to give a special shout out to Sleet2014 for being the 100th follower. In addition, I'd like to give a shout out to The3Ryans for their suggestion to have Yang's mom crash the date.**

**With all of that said, please stay tuned for Chapter 10 which should be posted in a little while!**


	10. Ch 10: Uncharted Waters

**A/N: So, just want to take a brief moment here to say that I'm announcing a new story at the end of this chapter, along with a preview of said story. So, without further ado, here's chapter 10: Uncharted Waters!**

* * *

So, how did the date go?" Pyrrha asked as Ruby and Weiss sat down at the group's usual table in the cafeteria.

"Well," Ruby started, "We ran into Yang's mother while we were there."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Pyrrha said, looking shocked

Ruby laughed. "It went great actually! I told her off, then Weiss totally went all 'I'm heiress to the Schnee company, and _you're_ bothering me' on her! It was awesome!"

Pyrrha chuckled. "Well, I'm very glad to hear that things went so well."

"And, after we got back to Weiss's apartment, she made cookies!" Ruby said with a broad smile.

Weiss rolled her eyes, even as a small smile began to appear on her face. "Dolt," she muttered.

Ruby threw her arms around the white-haired girl. "That's why you're dating me!" she said cheerfully.

"Don't touch me you dunce!" Weiss said, even as she lightly returned the hug.

Ruby returned to her chair with a laugh. "Anyone seen Yang or Blake?" Ruby asked as she calmed down.

Jaune shook his head. "Yang was in my math class earlier, but I haven't seen her since."

"Oh, look," Nora blurted, "There they are!"

"Hello, everyone," Blake said as she sat down. "Yang and I have an announcement to make."

"What's up?" Ruby asked, tilting her head slightly.

As if on cue, Yang pulled Blake into a kiss right in front of their eyes, which the Faunus returned immediately.

"Ummm...What?" Ruby questioned after they finally broke apart.

"Me and Blake-" Yang started.

"Blake and I," Blake interrupted, looking slightly annoyed.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Blake and I are dating."

"When did this happen?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yesterday," Blake answered. "A few weeks ago, when Yang went to...ummm...talk to her parents about what they did to Ruby, she kissed me. At the time, she said it was just to get a reaction out of her mother. The more we both thought and talked about it, however, the more we decided that we should, in her words, 'give it a shot.' So, yesterday, she officially asked me out, and here we are."

"So, am I the only one here who doesn't have someone to be with?" Jaune asked. "I mean, Ruby and Weiss are together, Yang and Blake just started going out, then there's Ren and Nora-"

"We're not _together_ together," Nora said sheepishly.

"-and I'm sure Pyrrha's got nearly every guy in the school chasing her."

"You'd be surprised Jaune," Pyrrha muttered.

"About what?" Jaune said, staring at Pyrrha questioningly.

"Your first and last points."

"Ummm...I don't get it."

Pyrrha sighed heavily. "Jaune, would you _please_ just ask me out already!"

"Wait, you...you want to go out with me?"

The entire group collectively groaned.

"You can't seriously be _that_ stupid," Weiss said, pinching the bridge of her nose with two fingers.

"Okay, ummm..." Jaune started, "Pyrrha...would...would you like to go out sometime?"

Pyrrha smiled brightly, and her green eyes seemed to shimmer. "Of course I would Jaune."

"Well, it's about time," Ruby muttered.

* * *

Ruby sat down at the kitchen table in Weiss's apartment as the latter girl put a plate of food in front of her.

"Still can't believe Yang and Blake are dating now," She thought aloud.

"What's more unbelievable to me is that Pyrrha finally snapped and made Jaune ask her out," Weiss replied as she sat down across the table.

Ruby laughed. "I was starting to think about taking bets on whether or not Jaune would ever notice."

Weiss nodded. "Solid money would be on him never noticing."

Ruby slowly stopped laughing and started to eat before a thought crossed her mind.

"Hey, Weiss," she said, "You never mentioned if you've dated anyone before."

Weiss sighed. "Well, I suppose this was going to come up sooner or later. Yes, I have dated before. Most of them were heirs to major companies. A few were actually quite nice, one of them was actually gay, but I never really felt truly interested in any of them." Weiss chuckled slightly before quietly adding, "I guess I know why now."

Ruby paused. "Wait, so that means I'm not the first person you've kissed?"

Weiss shook her head. "Regrettably, no." Ruby looked crestfallen, before Weiss added quietly, "But you_ are _first person I've enjoyed kissing."

Ruby smiled. "Oh, you've also never told me how you got that scar! Sorry if that's too personal, or you don't-"

"It's fine Ruby," Weiss said. "It's not anything interesting really. I used to fence when I was younger, and I slipped up with a block, and wound up pretty much slashing my own eye."

"Wait, you used to fence?"

She nodded. "You didn't notice the sword in my room?"

"I thought that was just for decoration."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Every member of the Schnee family eventually has a sword made for them. My father mother, and sister all have their own as well. As will my future spouse." _And, really, I wouldn't mind if that was you_, Weiss added silently.

They both continued to eat in silence. Eventually, when Weiss finished her meal, she pushed her plate forward with a sigh.

"So, you know that we have another break coming up in about a week, right?" Weiss started.

Ruby nodded.

"Well, I'm going to be visiting my parents over the break."

"Well," Ruby replied, "That shouldn't be a problem. I'll be perfectly fine here by myself."

"Actually, I'd like you to come with me to meet my family," Weiss said. "You'll need to meet them sooner or later, and I'd like to get it out of the way as quickly as I can."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked, to which Weiss nodded. "Plus, there's a chance that the weather could interrupt your plan."

"Hmm?" Weiss questioned.

"There's supposed to be some early snow moving in next week. If it hits us, the entire city'll be paralyzed for a week. That includes no airships in or out."

"What, does Vale have no equipment to deal with snow?" Weiss asked, looking slightly annoyed.

"Oh, we do," Ruby replied. "We just don't have enough of it to be able to deal with the kind of snowfall that's been predicted."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess we'll just have to hope the weather holds out then."

"We don't really have to," Ruby muttered. "I mean, I wouldn't mind waiting a little while to do this."

"Why not? It would be prudent of us to get this done so that we don't have to worry about it later."

"Weiss, please," Ruby said, starting to beg slightly. "I really don't think that would be a very good idea right now."

"Ruby, what are you so afraid of? It's not like-"

"I'm scared they'll reject me, okay?" Ruby practically shouted as tears began to glisten in her eyes.

"Wh-what?" Weiss asked.

"Weiss, you already know what happened to me when I told my own family about the fact that I'm gay," Ruby cried. "My own father rejected me, Yang's mom called me a freak, and she threw me out into the rain! First I lost my mother, and then my own home taken away from me. I couldn't stand it if I lost you too."

Weiss walked over to where Ruby sat and gently wrapped her arms around the girl.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "I'll be here with you every step of the way. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Are...Are you sure?"

Weiss held Ruby a little tighter. "Of course. I promise you. Even then, I sincerely doubt that my parents will have any problem with you."

Ruby looked at Weiss and smiled a tearful smile. "Thanks," she whispered.

Weiss held Ruby still tighter. "I'm serious, I will be there for you, no matter what."

Ruby returned the hug, clinging to Weiss as tightly as if she were holding onto the side of a life raft.

"Sorry for yelling at you, Weiss," Ruby choked out.

"No, I'm sorry for not thinking about what had happened to you when I put forward this idea," Weiss said, shaking her head lightly. "It was selfish of me. You're my girlfriend, I should have thought of you first."

Ruby sighed. "You really think they'll accept me?"

Weiss smiled. "Of course, you dolt. And, if they don't, I'll _make_ them accept you."

That elicited a small smile from Ruby. "Thanks, Weiss. You're the best."

* * *

**A/N: So, first of all, Bumbleby is a thing. The end vote was 13 for and 8 against. Fear not those of you who don't want this to be a Bumbleby story, however, as it will only have a secondary role in this one. Since you all are here for White Rose, that's what this story is going to be about.**

**Secondly, as I said in the beginning, I am announcing a new story, called The Flight of a Rose. It's going to be a Sci-Fi White Rose story that revolves around team RWBY and JNPR in a space setting, with all of them being fighter pilots. So, to that end, I'd like to present a brief preview:**

"Ice Queen, you've got two...no...three Beowolf fighters on your tail!"

"Shit," Weiss muttered as her fighter started to take hits. "Can't lose them! Can I get some cover here?"

Her fighter shuddered a little from another hit. _Alert,_ the ship's synthesized voice spoke, _aft shields down to fifty percent_.

"Copy, this is Reaper," Ruby's voice crackled through her helmet, "I see 'em, coming in to engage now."

_Anyone but her!_ Weiss thought. _I'd really rather risk getting shot down than worrying that this idiot will run into me due to her inexperience._

Suddenly, a pair of explosions rocked her fighter. Weiss turned her head to look behind her, fully expecting to find the entire rear half of her fighter gone. Instead, she saw the debris of two fighters already sailing past her, and the third beginning to come apart, shredded by a hail of particle cannon blasts, as a fighter that could only belong to Ruby flew between Weiss and the one remaining fighter on her tail. Ruby's fighter swung around it's prey, it's guns still trained even as Ruby moved in a completely different direction from where she was facing.

"Ice Queen, this is Reaper," Ruby said again as the last fighter completely fell apart, "You're all clear."

**And there's the preview! Let me know what you all think of the idea, as well as this chapter! See you all next time.**


	11. Ch 11 Snowed In

Ruby stood from the air mattress and yawned. Glancing over at her favorite heiress, she smiled a little when she saw Weiss still sleeping. Her white hair flowed gently down her neck and under the blanket, and she had a small smile set on her lips.

_She always looks so beautiful when she sleeps_, Ruby thought to herself. _Then again, she always looks really beautiful._

Ruby turned around and pulled the drapes so she could look out of the window. Her eyes widened.

_Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!_ her mind thought happily, _It's snowing!_

She sprinted into the bathroom to begin her day when she slammed into the doorway with a loud _THUD!_ Rubbing her now-aching head, she looked back to Weiss and saw her yawn and start to stir.

"Ruby," she said sleepily, "if you could _not_ tear down the apartment while I'm trying to sleep, that would be great."

"Sorry Weiss," Ruby replied sheepishly, "It's just...it's snowing and-"

Weiss shot upright. "What did you just say?" she demanded.

"Ummm...It's snowing?" Ruby said with a nervous grin.

Weiss quickly got out of her bed and walked over to the window. She pulled the drapes aside and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, I guess we're not going to be making that flight today."

Ruby smiled. ""Well, we can still have fun here! I love the snow! It must have been awesome growing up where it snows every winter."

"No," Weiss stated, wearing a slight frown.

Ruby looked confused. "What do you mean 'no?'"

"Precisely that. I grew up with it all the time. It got boring after the first few winters."

"So, I guess you're not going to go out and play in the snow with me?" Ruby asked, looking almost like a kicked puppy.

Weiss smiled. "I never said _that_ you dunce."

Ruby perked up immediately. "Ooh! Then we also need to call Yang! And Blake!" Ruby then started spitting out names in machine-gun-like fashion. "And we need to call Jaune, and Pyrrha-"

"Ruby!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Weiss," she said sheepishly.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "We're not calling _anyone_ until we are _both_ done getting ready for today."

"Right away, Weiss!" Ruby said with a brilliant smile while flashing a salute at her white-haired girlfriend.

Weiss smiled and shook her head. At least it wasn't going to be boring.

* * *

Ruby and Weiss were standing outside Weiss's apartment complex Ruby wearing black and red winter gear, while Weiss wore her trademark white. As the looked through the still-falling snow, they saw six approaching figures, who they immediately identified as their friends.

"Glad you guys could make it!" Ruby said as the rest of the group walked up to the two girls.

"Snow day? With you?" Yang said with a laugh. "You _know _I'd never pass that up!"

"And, naturally, this brute decided to drag me along," Blake said, though she was smiling as well.

"Oh, hush kitty," Yang said, laughing again.

"Seriously, what is with you two?" Jaune asked, as he walked up holding Pyrrha's hand.

"Oh, Jaune," the fiery-haired girl said with a light chuckle. "Let them have their fun."

"I'm not sure why you dragged me out here though," Ren said.

"Oh, you'll see," Ruby said, looking at Weiss with a mischievous grin. "For now, we need to organize teams! Weiss, Yang, Blake, and me-"

"-I" Weiss interjected.

"-will be team RWBY! And Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren will be team JNPR! Now, remember that, because it'll be important later!"

"What do you mean 'it'll be important later?'" Jaune asked.

"As I said, you'll see. Now, our first order of business is..."

* * *

"...and now that the snow forts are built," Ruby said, standing behind a wall of snow that actually resembled a castle and came up to her chest, "it's time for the last item for the day!"

"And what would that be?" Pyrrha asked.

The only reply she received was being pelted in the face by a ball of snow. Ruby burst out laughing.

"What did you expect?" she said between bouts of laughter.

As she finally regained control of herself, she opened her eyes just in time to see a ball of snow flying at her head. She quickly lept out of the way causing it to sail past her, and instead hit the very wrong girl in the face.

Weiss scraped the snow off of her face, pure fury gleaming in her eyes. Weiss slowly formed a snowball in her gloved hands, and pitched it with a remarkable amount of force toward Jaune. The boy staggered back from the sheer force of the blow. When he finally recovered, Jaune quickly leaned down to gather his own snowball, and the battle was joined. It was very clear who the victor would be though. Despite JNPR having Nora for strength and Pyrrha for finesse, team RWBY simply was much better off, with Ruby having the advantage in speed, Yang being even stronger than Nora, Blake was so agile that nothing ever seemed to hit her, and Weiss, in addition to having more finesse than Pyrrha, also had vastly more experiance than anyone else there, having grown up in one of the snowiest regions of Atlas.

Eventually, the fighting began to die down, and, the victor having been clearly established, the rest of the group began to walk home. Weiss and Ruby were left alone, looking through the slowly darkening landscape and still-falling snow.

"Let's go back inside," Weiss said after a brief moment.

Ruby nodded as she grasped Weiss's hand with her own. "Yeah, it is getting rather cold out here."

"Come on," Weiss replied with a small smile, "I'll make you some hot chocolate when we get in."

* * *

Ruby threw herself down on the couch, wrapping herself in a blanket as she did so.

"Don't damage the couch, Ruby," Weiss called without even looking over.

"Aww, you never let me have any fun," Ruby pouted.

"And what about not even five minutes ago?" Weiss asked, as she forced the mug of hot chocolate into Ruby's hand. Ruby smiled as she moved the blanket to cover both her and Weiss.

"So you do care," Ruby laughed.

"Of course I do, you dolt. Any more stupid questions?"

The couple sat in a peaceful silence for several minutes, calmly sipping their drinks.

"Hey, Ruby?" Weiss said as she broke the silence. Her voice was just barely a whisper. "I had a lot of fun today."

The Ruby snuggled in a little closer to Weiss, and rested her head on the girl's shoulder.

"I knew you would," she replied , closing her eyes with a gentle smile.

"You _do_ know that you haven't gotten out of meeting my parents, right?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, I know," she replied. "Though I still don't mind waiting a little while longer."

Weiss sighed. "Well, what about when the semester is over in about a month? I'll need to head back to Atlas for a week, and I would really appreciate it if you came with me."

Ruby nodded. "I suppose I can do that. Do you parents know that you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes, they do," Weiss replied with a nod. "I called them earlier when you were in the shower to tell them that I would not be back this week due to the weather."

"And they were okay with it?"

"Of course they were, dolt," Weiss said, rolling her eyes. "They didn't mind that I'm a lesbian, why would they care that I actually have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ruby sighed gently.

The couple settled into another comfortable silence, punctured only by their slow, steady breaths. As the room began to grow dark, Weiss looked down to her girlfriend, and saw the girl sleeping peacefully. Weiss smiled at the sight of the sweet, innocent, young girl. She started to hum to herself as she gently stroked Ruby's hair. As she hummed the song she had been taught when she was a child, her smile slowly started to fade, replaced by several silent tears.

"Weiss, are you crying?" Ruby asked, startling the older girl.

"N-no," Weiss answered, even as another tear streamed down her cheek.

Ruby opened her eyes and turned too look at Weiss. "What's wrong? And don't say nothing, because I can pretty clearly see that something is bothering you."

"It's just...I...I feel like I don't deserve you," Weiss said sadly. "I've been, mean, cold, and cruel, and you're just the absolutely nicest person I've ever met. You deserve someone-"

Ruby didn't even let her finish her thought, choosing instead to pull her into a deep kiss. Ruby held the white-haired girl hostage there for what felt like several minutes before finally releasing her again, and looking into her eyes.

"Weiss Schnee," Ruby said, her voice filled with determination. "Do _not_ let me hear this talk of you not deserving me."

Weiss opened her mouth to protest, but once again found Ruby's lips pressed against her own.

"You heard what I said," Ruby stated, staring into Weiss's eyes.

Weiss nodded as a smile returned to her face.

"You're never going to let me have even one moment of self-loathing, are you?"

Ruby chuckled as she snuggled up to Weiss again. "Of course not, princess," she said. "You are far to pretty to cry."

Weiss kissed the top of Ruby's head. _Between the two of us, she really is the perfect one here,_ Weiss thought.

* * *

**A/N: See? Told you guys this story wasn't being discontinued. As I said in my A/N in Flight of a Rose, these two stories will be rotated in their release. So, consequently, my next posting will be Chapter 2 of Flight of a Rose.**

**Also, please don't expect me to upload this often. Just got a "lucky" break by having multiple tests on the same day. College! yay...**

**Stay tuned for more later, and, if you haven't already, please go check out The Flight of a Rose!**


	12. Ch 12: Presentation

"So, you ready to present today Weiss?" Ruby asked while she tossed the flash drive that held their presentation up and down as they entered Professor Oobleck's class.

"Of course I am," she replied. "And stop throwing that thing around! I don't want you damaging it and losing our presentation!"

"Geez, sorry princess," Ruby muttered as she sat down in her chair.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Dolt."

Ruby stared at the front of the room, just as the professor seemingly materialized there.

"All right class, today we begin our presentations of the projects you all have been working on this semester," he called. "Is there any pair that would like to go first?"

Weiss's hand immediately shot upward. "Ruby and I would, sir."

"Very well, Miss Schnee and Miss Rose will begin."

"Are you sure Weiss?" Ruby asked quietly as they stood from their seats and walked up to the front of the classroom.

Weiss nodded. "We'll be fine. Don't worry."

Ruby stood behind the instructor's computer and plugged in her flash drive, while Weiss stood in the center of the front of the room. Ruby nodded and pulled the presentation up on the projector as Weiss began.

"Good afternoon, everyone," She called, her voice ringing out crisp and clear through the silent room. Ruby smiled at the sound. "My partner, Ruby Rose, and I will be talking about the Faunus war, as well as providing perspectives from various perspectives on several major events that happened during the course of the conflict."

[LINE BREAK HERE]

"Finally," Weiss said, "we actually managed to get an interview with one of our friends, who happens to be a Faunus, about her perspective on the war. Ruby? If you would?"

With a nod, Ruby clicked the mouse. The slide changed, replaced by a fullscreen video showing Blake sitting on a couch in Weiss's apartment across from Ruby.

"Hey Blake, thanks for taking the time to speak to us," Video-Ruby said.

Blake nodded with a smile. "Of course," she replied. "Always happy to help out a friend."

"So, let's go ahead and get started. First of all, do you believe the war could have been avoided?"

"Wow, right to the tough ones, hmm?" Blake said with a light laugh. "Anyway, it depends on how far back you go. Within even a decade or so of the Battle of Menagerie? No, it was almost certainly inevitable, and it would be foolish of me to not acknowledge that there were severe problems on both sides. For the humans, it was mostly a combination of old prejudice mixed with the fact that many who didn't hate us simply weren't in a position to help. On the Faunus side, we also had our own hate groups. Combine that with the fact that even many moderate Faunus were fed up with how e were being treated, and it was a recipe for disaster. However, if olive branches had been extended by both sides earlier in our history, I believe that the war may have been averted all together."

"What do you mean by 'olive branches?'"

"Well," Blake said, thinking carefully, "For one, if most Faunus hadn't been exiled to Menagerie, I believe that would have helped a lot. Furthermore, even back then, most people favored giving fair treatment to all Faunus. However, they felt powerless to speak up. As a result, if the majority had spoken in opposition to the vocal minority that still exists today, though with far fewer members, then the war would have been averted."

"Speaking of Menagerie, what's your opinion on what happened? Were the riots simply getting too out of control, and the Vacuo military replied with a reasonable amount of force, or did they take their response too far?"

"Again," Blake replied calmly, "The problem lies with both sides. While yes, the Vacuo military did go much too far by opening fire into a demonstrating crowd, several Faunus groups, such as the White Fang, that were involved did take their protests too far. For instance, the burning of the Governor's mansion."

Ruby thought about her next question. "Okay, the treaty of Vale. What do you think about it? Was it a step in the right direction, could there have been more done, or was it a bad call?"

"The Treaty of Vale was certainly a step in the right direction," Blake replied. "Especially the provisions for giving Faunus workers equal rights to their Human counterparts in equivalent positions, as well as the end of our exile in Menagerie. However, there certainly could have been more done. For instance, the ones who incited the war, both Human and Faunus, should have been given harsher punishments than what they received. Also, the reparations provided to the families of Faunus that had lost one or more members to the war tended to be rather small in comparison to the provisions made to Human families."

"I will agree," Weiss said from off-screen, "The funding provided to Faunus families was certainly much less than it should have been."

Blake nodded. "Our lot in life has improved quite a lot since the end of the war. Most times we can walk out without having to worry about whether we'll make it home again or not. There is still the occasional incident, though those are the exception, not the rule."

"Lastly," Ruby said, sitting forward a little. "Did you have any family that participated in the war? And, if so, how did they participate?"

"Well, most Faunus aided the war effort in some way, even if it wasn't directly from the front line," Blake replied. "For my family's part, I my paternal grandfather actually fought in the war. His first battle was actually the turning point at the battle of Haven. My maternal grandmother also was in the military, and participated in several battles outside the capital of Mistral. As for the rest of my family, they were either too young, in the case of my parents, or found ways to provide assistance from the home front, such as war materials manufacturing or food production."

"Well," Ruby said, "I think that's everything! Thanks for taking the time to help us out!"

Blake smiled again. "Of course. I'm always happy to help out you and the ice queen."

"Hey!"

"See ya later Blake!"

The video ended, leaving a blank black screen.

"And that's our presentation. Does anyone have any questions?" Weiss said.

Nobody raised their hands. Ruby pulled the flash drive out of the computer and she followed Weiss back to their seats.

[LINE BREAK HERE]

"Well, that went well," Ruby quipped as she followed Weiss back to the apartment.

"Indeed," Weiss replied. "I would almost certainly be willing to venture that we were the best group to present today."

"It was hilarious that Cardin and Russel didn't have anything," Ruby said with a chuckle.

"What makes you say that?" Weiss asked.

"They're bullies," Ruby said with a touch of anger as they stopped at the intersection leading to the neighborhood. "I saw them picking on Velvet a few months ago. Not to mention the fact that Cardin bullied me after I got moved directly from sixth to eighth grade. Didn't last long though, because Yang beat him up so badly she got grounded for a week."

"He bullied you?"

"Yeah," Ruby replied with a nod as the light changed and the couple started to walk across the street.

"Why would anyone want to do that to you?"

"Do I need to remind you about the day we met?" Ruby replied, sticking her tounge out.

"Ugh," Weiss groaned. "That was different!"

"Whatever you say, princess," Ruby laughed.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Dolt."

[LINE BREAK HERE]

Ruby sat down at her computer and pulled up the listing of her grades.

"Huh, I guess Oobleck's speed extends to how he grades," Ruby called over to Weiss, who was standing in the kitchen area making a small lunch for herself.

"Really?" Weiss asked nonchalantly without looking over.

"Yeah," Ruby replied as she scrolled through the page. "He's already got our project up. And...Ninety-seven! Woo!" she cheered.

"Only a ninety-seven?" Weiss asked.

Ruby rolled her eyes and closed the browser. "Come on, Weiss, a ninety-seven is awesome! That means our grade is pretty much set for the semester! Combined with all of our other grades, we could probably skip the final and still pull an A!"

"We're not skipping the final!" Weiss shot back.

"I _know_ that! I'm just saying, a ninety-seven is great! Especially for a project of this scale!"

Weiss rolled her eyes and sat down next to Ruby. "Anyway, are you ready to meet my parents in a couple of weeks?"

Ruby sighed. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Weiss kissed Ruby on the cheek. "Don't worry. I'll be there for you the entire time."

"Thanks Weiss," Ruby said with a smile as she closed her eyes and leaned her head on Weiss's shoulder.

Weiss started to gently comb her fingers through Ruby's hair. "Of course. I certainly wouldn't be a very good girlfriend if I did otherwise, would I?"

Ruby chuckled, making Weiss shudder a little. "Oh, only about as good of one as you are now."

"Dunce."

"Princess."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You are so childish," she started.

"You started it!"

"And I wasn't finished," she said, giving Ruby a slight glare. "As I was saying: You are so childish, and dim-witted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me _started_ on your study habits, and your also beautiful, and funny, and smart, and absolutely perfect."

Ruby blushed. "Are you actually flirting with me?" she asked with a slight laugh.

Weiss smiled as she continued to brush her hand through Ruby's hair. "Don't get used to it, dunce."

* * *

**A/N: Gah. Sorry this one took so long, and is really not up to par with my other entries for both this and Flight of a Rose. I've just been having a busy week, between classes and work. Combine that with a severe bout of the absolute worst kind of writers block, and you get this. So, yeah. Again, sorry that this wasn't as good as some of my previous entries, as well as at least one of my upcoming chapters has the potential to be, but, since this project was the entire original premise of the story, I wouldn't feel right without putting in a chapter about them presenting it.**

**Anyways, up next is Chapter 3 of Flight of a Rose: Shore Leave, followed by the chapter where Ruby finally meets Weiss's parents. I'll be on fall break starting this Thursday, so (writer's block allowing) I should be able to get them both up within a week, maybe less. Hopefully.**


	13. Ch 13: Weiss's Parents

"So, which flight are we taking, Weiss?" Ruby asked as she and the heiress walked though the airship docks.

"You'll see," Weiss replied, as she passed another pier.

The couple continued to walk though the docks together, mostly staying silent and holding hands as they made their way through.

"Are you sure you're not lost?" Ruby asked again.

Weiss nodded.

"Because we just passed the last ship that's going to Atlas."

"No, we didn't," Weiss said, as she looked a little ways into the distance.

"But the last-" Ruby paused. "Wait, are we going to the private docks?"

Weiss turned to face Ruby and flashed her a smile. "Would you expect me to settle for anything less than luxury?"

"Well, your apartment is rather small..." Ruby muttered.

"Quiet, you!" Weiss said, even as she laughed a little.

Eventually, the couple found their way to a singular pier, isolated from the rest of the rest of the docks. There sat a sleek airship, with a long, thin, parabolic-shaped hull, a short rudder on the back with additional stabilizing fins at the top, with two large engine nacelles that were nearly as long as the hull itself mounted in the middle of two small wings, as well as two smaller nacelles on the edges.

"Is that the ship?" Ruby asked, as they approached the docked ship.

Weiss nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Oh, wow!" Ruby practically shouted as she ran over.

Weiss rolled her eyes and smiled. "Be careful, you dunce. I'd hate for you to fall and break your nose before you meet my parents for the first time."

"Relax, Weiss, I'll be-" On cue, Ruby tripped and fell, narrowly catching herself just before her face hit the ground.

"I rest my case," Weiss said smugly as she offered a hand to Ruby, who took it with a blush.

"Sorry."

Weiss rolled her eyes again. "Come on, dunce. We don't want to miss our flight."

* * *

Ruby watched as Weiss stood from her seat and walked over to a window.

"Oh, great, they're here already," Weiss said with a sigh.

"Who's here?" Ruby asked as she stood and walked up beside Weiss.

Weiss moved to let Ruby look out of the window. "Press. They must have heard that I have a girlfriend somehow."

Ruby paused. "Is that a bad thing?"

Weiss sighed again. "Well, not exactly, but I was just hoping to not have to deal with this yet."

"So, what's the plan then?"

"Well, just keep close to me as we go to the car, and try not to answer any questions they may ask, no matter how stupid the quesiton."

"Okay," Ruby said with a nervous nod.

The airship shuddered lightly as it gently set down at the private docks. The doors opened, and Weiss and Ruby stepped out onto the pier. As soon as they were out of the airship, they were immediately ambushed by the members of the press who followed them with question after question. Weiss simply grabbed Ruby's hand, and wove her way through the crowd and over to the company car. The bodyguard opened the door, and Weiss and Ruby climbed in, still being bombarded with questions all the way until the door closed.

"Well, that was...fun," Ruby said with a grimace.

Weiss sighed. "Well, unfortunately, it's not going to stop, so you'll just have to get used to it."

"I don't suppose there's any way to get rid of them?"

"No," Weiss replied as she shook her head sadly. "One of the reasons you really shouldn't want to be in a relationship with me."

"Well," Ruby said as she smiled and gave Weiss a light kiss, "Lucky for me that you're worth the trouble."

"Dolt," Weiss muttered as she blushed lightly.

Ruby grinned. "But I'm your dolt."

Weiss sighed, even as a small smile crossed her face. "Yes, you're _my _dolt."

* * *

Ruby stared at the soaring towers of the mansion in front of her. "You _live_ here?"

"Well, technically, I live in the apartment in back Vale right now, but yes, I grew up here."

"Wow!" Ruby said as her eyes widened. "So you pretty much are a princess then!"

Weiss rolled her eyes and started to lead Ruby up to the front doors. "Come on, dunce. I don't want you to catch a cold out here."

The large wooden doors opened with a light creak, and a wave of air rushed out. Ruby and Weiss stepped in, their footsteps on the marble floor echoing gently across the large entrance hall. Across the room, there stood a man and a woman, the former of which was tall, and shared Weiss's hair and eye colors, while the latter was shorter, with long brown hair, and had a warm smile on her face.

"Welcome back, Weiss," the man said.

Weiss gave a polite smile and a small nod. "Thank you, father."

"And you must be Weiss's girlfriend," her mother said.

"Ruby Rose," the girl replied, also with a polite smile.

"Come, you two must be hungry, and dinner is almost ready," Weiss's mother said.

Ruby looked over to Weiss, who gave her a slight nod. They held hands again, and followed Weiss's parents through the building.

"Also, please do not worry about your belongings, as they will be sent to a guest room for you during your stay with us, miss Rose," Weiss's father said.

"Actually, father," Weiss said, "I would prefer it if Ruby were to stay in my room."

"And may I ask why?"

"Well, for one, it can be easy to get lost in here, especially if you're not used to the layout," Weiss started. "This way, if Ruby needs something, I can guide her to it."

He sighed. "Very well, Weiss, she is your girlfriend, so I will allow your request."

Ruby turned to Weiss and gave her a silent thank you, to which Weiss replied with a a simple nod.

"Is Winter home?" Weiss asked.

Her father shook her head. "She does not start break for another two weeks."

"Who's Winter?" Ruby asked.

"My sister," Weiss replied. "She's currently in boarding school, which is why she's not home right now."

"Oh. Okay."

As they arrived in the dining room, Weiss's father sat at the head of the table, followed by her mother, then Weiss, and finally Ruby. As they all sat, their plates arrived with all sorts of delicious looking food. Ruby looked around to Weiss and her family, making sure they had all started before beginning to eat herself.

"So, Miss Rose, how long have you and Weiss been dating?" Weiss's father asked, surprising Ruby slightly.

"It's been...About a month now?" Ruby said, looking over to Weiss for confirmation.

The white-haired heiress nodded. "November sixth, so one month and two days to be precise."

"Interesting. You two seem to be quite far along considering you have been together for such a short time," Weiss's father said.

"Well, part of that is that Ruby had been living with me for about two weeks before we started dating."

"Ruby is living with you?" her mother asked.

Weiss nodded. "She was...forced to leave her home at the end of fall break, and had nowhere else to go, so I offered to let her stay with me."

"And why did she need to leave her home?"

"That's a question I feel she should answer, if she feels ready," Weiss said as she turned to Ruby.

Ruby took a deep breath. "Well, firstly, I need to say that my sister, Yang and I, are only half-sisters. We share the same dad, but not the same mother. My mom was in the military, and she died when I was about eight, so I went to live with our dad and Yang's mom. Yang's mom and I..." Ruby paused to take another breath, even as a tear started to slide down her cheek.. "We didn't really get along that well at the best of times."

"Miss Rose, if you do not wish to continue, then we will not pressure you," Weiss's mother said with a concerned look on her face.

"No, no, it's fine," Ruby said with a sigh. "Anyway, Yang and I have always gotten along great, and she's really protective of me. Well, on the second to last day of fall break, I was going to tell Yang's mom and our dad that I was gay. Yang was originally going to be there to help me out, but she got called in to work that night, so I had to tell them alone. Well, Yang's mom started to..." Ruby paused to take a deep breath. "She started to call me a freak, as well as pointing out everything about my mother that I had inherited, such as her hair and eyes, And after that, she told me to get out. When I tried to get my dad to help out, he didn't do anything. So, I ran away and eventually found my way to Weiss's apartment, where I'm currently staying."

Weiss hugged Ruby gently to comfort the girl, even as more tears started to stream down her face.

"That's," Weiss's father paused as he searched for a word, "unfortunate that anyone would still be so bigoted."

"Thanks, guys," Ruby said as she wiped away her tears and hugged Weiss back.

"On a lighter note," Weiss's mother said, "I was wondering what you were majoring in, miss Rose."

Ruby perked up almost immediately. "Computer science!" She said with a broad smile.

"Indeed?" Weiss's mother replied with a smile. "So, I take it you can tell me the difference between memory and RAM?"

Ruby looked at her with a confused look. "There...There isn't any...Memory is RAM."

"Just testing you," her mother said with a light laugh. "I have a masters in computer science."

"You do?"

She nodded. "I was actually responsible for designing the software that Vale Fusion plant runs on."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Ruby said, her eyes sparkling. "Even program running the main and emergency plasma regulators?"

She nodded.

"Wow!"

Weiss rolled her eyes, even though she wore an affectionate smile. "Well, it's getting late," she said as she looked at her phone. "I suppose we'll go ahead and go to my room."

Weiss's father nodded. "Of course, Weiss. If you two need anything, please feel free to ask."

* * *

Ruby walked back into Weiss's bedroom wearing her pajamas, only to find the heiress already laying in her bed.

"So," Ruby paused. "Where am I going to sleep?" Ruby asked sheepishly.

Weiss moved over a little.

"Are you sure?"

Weiss rolled here eyes. "Fine, sleep on the floor then, dolt."

"Sorry, Weiss," she replied, with a nervous smile.

Ruby climbed into Weiss's bed and wrapped her arms around the older girl. Weiss smiled as a light blush crept across her face. Ruby let out a contented sigh as she buried her head into Weiss's hair.

"How long are we going to be staying here?" she asked.

"About four more days," Weiss replied as she closed her eyes. "So, we'll be heading back on Thursday."

"Sounds good," Ruby said as she closed her eyes as well. "Good night Weiss."

"Good night, Ruby," she whispered with a smile.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, yes I know, I said Tuesday in the last chapter of Flight of a Rose, but I've had a really hectic few days recently. So, I'm sorry for those of you who were looking for the update then. Also, for those of you who want to see more drama in this story, don't worry: there is going to be a LOT of drama very soon, so stay tuned for that.**

**Anyway, up next, Chapter four of Flight of a Rose: Falling Petals, followed by chapter 14 here!**


	14. Ch 14: A Wounded Rose Part 1

Ruby fidgeted restlessly in the seat of the airship as it prepared to take off. Weiss looked over from a window on the opposite side of the hull and rolled her eyes.

"Would you settle down, dolt?" she said.

"Sorry, Weiss," Ruby replied with a light blush. "I just don't want to have to deal with all of those annoying journalists again when we get back to Vale."

Weiss walked over and wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulder. "Don't worry about them. As I told you when we were getting off in Atlas, you only need to respond when you're talking to them in a controlled environment like a press conference. Otherwise, just ignore them." Weiss turned Ruby's head so she was looking into her eyes and gave her a smile. "And, don't forget, I'll always be there to help you out."

Ruby gave a contented sigh as she leaned her head onto Weiss's shoulder. "Thanks, Weiss," she whispered.

Weiss combed her fingers through Ruby's hair. "Plus, I doubt that they'll show up where we're docking. Our pilot is changing our destination as soon as we take off, so we'll be landing at a less well-known dock."

"And that means?"

"No press. We can just get in the car, which is already being towed there, and go."

Ruby smiled as she got comfortable on Weiss's shoulder. "Good," she whispered.

* * *

Weiss looked out of the window next to her seat, and saw the empty dock rapidly approaching. She turned to look at the girl sleeping on her shoulder. With a smile, she gave Ruby a gentle push to wake her up.

"Good morning, dolt," Weiss said. "Did you sleep well?"

"How long was I out?" Ruby muttered sleepily.

Weiss gestured to the window. "Long enough for us to be about to dock back in Vale."

"Gah!" Ruby yelled out as she sat up suddenly. "Sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep! I'm sure you were bored! I'm so sorry!"

Weiss laughed. "Stop worrying, dunce. I don't mind that you fell asleep. I finally got some quiet time."

Ruby gave her a look of feigned hurt. "You don't like spending time with me?"

Weiss replied by pulling her into a kiss. "Any more stupid questions?"

"Umm...No?" Ruby replied with a blush.

Weiss nodded. "Good."

Suddenly, the airship shuddered lightly, and Weiss leaned to look out of the window.

"Come on," she said. "We just docked. The car should be in parking lot F."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

Weiss rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone. "Take a look, dunce," she said as she turned the screen to Ruby.

"Ms. Schnee, your car has been parked at parking lot F at the airship dock you designated," Ruby read aloud. "Oh."

"Dolt."

Weiss stood from her seat, followed closely by Ruby. As the couple stepped out of the doorway, they were greeted by an empty dock. Ruby wove her fingers through Weiss's, and they followed the signs leading to parking lot F. When they finally arrived, Ruby unclasped her hand from Weiss's and got in the passenger's side while Weiss climbed into the driver's.

"So, back to your apartment?" Ruby asked as Weiss started the car.

"Not quite yet," Weiss said as she shook her head. "We have a couple things we need to pick up before we go back."

"Like what?"

Weiss sighed as she turned her head to look behind her to back the car out of the parking space.

"Oh, I don't know..._food_ perhaps?"

"Sorry, princess," Ruby muttered sarcastically.

Weiss laughed. "Don't worry, we won't be there long."

* * *

"So, Ruby, I'm curious about something," Weiss stated as she slowed her car to a stop at an intersection.

Ruby sat back a little in the chair. "Go ahead, Weiss."

"Why were you so scared my parents would reject you? I'm sorry if that's a little too personal, but-"

"No it's fine," Ruby said with a sigh. "It's just... After Yang's mom and our dad kicked me out, you were the only person I could stay with. I don't know where Pyrrha, Nora or Ren live, Blake has barely enough room for herself in her little studio apartment, and I really didn't want to have to deal with Jaune's ceaseless flirting after what happened. I guess you could say that the main reason was that I was scared to lose you like I lost my home."

Weiss sighed. "I'm sorry Ruby, I should have taken that into consideration."

"Light's green, Weiss," Ruby interrupted.

"Thanks," Weiss replied, and the car started forward. "It's just that-"

"Weiss!" Ruby shrieked.

Weiss turned her head to look out Ruby's window just in time to see another car hurtling towards them too quickly to stop.

* * *

"Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?"

"M-my name is Weiss Schnee," Weiss struggled out, wincing from the pain. "M-my...gah...My girlfriend and I were...agh...were involved in a car accident."

"Can you tell me the location of the accident, ma'am?" the responder replied.

Weiss turned painfully to look at the street signs nearby, and read them off to the woman on the other end.

"Is your girlfriend still in the car?" the responder asked calmly.

"Y-yes."

"Can you tell me the extent of her injuries?"

"She-she has a lot of cuts and bruises...and her...her arm is bent at a weird angle, and...Oh no...she...she's not moving."

"Please remain calm, ma'am. Help is on the way," The woman on the other end said, but Weiss wasn't listening any more.

"Ruby?" Weiss tried to shake Ruby a little, even as more tears began to cloud her eyes. "Ruby, please...wake up. Please, Ruby, don't leave me here."

Weiss glanced up and saw a woman with short, blonde hair and purple eyes looking into the car window just before her vision finally faded to black.

* * *

Weiss opened her eyes slowly, revealing the distinctive sterile, white surroundings of a hospital. She started to squint, as her eyes were not quite adjusted to the harsh light of the room.

"Ah, good, you're awake," a voice said from nearby.

Weiss turned her head and saw a man standing nearby wearing a long, white coat.

"What happened?" Weiss asked.

"You were in a car accident yesterday," the doctor replied. "You were fortunate to make it through with relatively minor injuries, however. Mostly only a few minor cuts and bruises. You do have a couple of bruised ribs, but, overall you were quite lucky."

_Yesterday?_ Weiss thought. _I've been unconscious for that long? _Suddenly, a horrifying thought struck Weiss. _Wait, what about-_

"Where's my girlfriend?" Weiss demanded as she bolted upright.

"I'm sorry?" the doctor asked.

"Her name is Ruby Rose. She was-"

"Oh, her," the man's expression changed to hold a mixture of sorrow and pity.

"Where is she? I want to see her."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that's a-"

"No, you don't understand," Weiss interrupted, "I _want_ to see her!"

The doctor sighed. "Very well."

* * *

**A/N: EVEN MOAR DRAMA! So, yeah. Another cliffhanger. I think I'm enjoying those _far_ too much. Especially when you consider the fact that I hate having to deal with cliffhangers myself. At any rate, sorry this one took a little while. Class and work have been keeping me really busy recently. Combine that with the release of the Borderlands Pre-Sequel, as well as Star Trek Online releasing a new expansion all in the same week, and I simply lost any time I was going to devote to writing.**

**Anyways, please review and stay tuned for Chapter 5 of Flight of a Rose: White Noise, in a few days!**

**Also, as an aside, I'm going to be using my profile to post status updates on my stories, so please check there if you're curious as to how their coming along!**


	15. Ch 15: A Wounded Rose part 2

"Where is she? I want to see her."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that's a-"

"No, you don't understand," Weiss interrupted, "I _want_ to see her!"

The doctor sighed. "Very well."

Weiss stood painfully from her bed and followed the doctor out of the room.

"Miss Rose's injures were quite severe," the doctor said as they walked through the halls. "Three broken ribs, a broken arm, as well as a number of bruises and cuts from the impact and debris."

"Will she be all right?" Weiss asked worriedly.

He sighed again. "Physically, yes, she should make a full recovery. But there is another issue." The doctor opened the door, revealing another sterile room this one with Ruby lying still unconscious on the bed.

"Ruby!" Weiss yelled, tears forming in her eyes as she ran over.

She hugged the girl's still form tightly as tears began to slide down her face. "W-When will she wake up?" Weiss choked out.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot say," the doctor replied sadly. "With this type of thing, it could be anywhere from now to never."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Weiss begged.

The doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry." With that, he left the room.

Weiss shakily got up and found a chair. She pulled it beside Ruby's bed and sat down, as she rested her head on her arms and began to sob quietly.

* * *

Yang awoke to the news blaring on her radio.

_Ugh, five more minutes,_ she thought as she turned over to hit the snooze.

"And, in other news, we now have confirmation that the crash yesterday evening in downtown Vale did in fact involve Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee energy company," the broadcaster said.

"What!" Yang yelled as she bolted upright.

"In addition," he continued, "A young woman, rumored to be romantically involved with Miss Schnee, was also in the car at the time. Miss Schnee received only minor injuries, but the young woman with her, Miss Ruby Rose, is reported to be in critical condition at Vale General Hospital."

Yang shot out of bed and quickly threw a set of clothes on.

"Furthermore, Miss Rose's estranged father, Taiyang Xiao Long, as well as his wife, were also involved. They are rumored to have run a red light, and impacted Miss Schnee's vehicle at high speed. Both received only minor injuries. Up next-"

Yang ripped the radio off of her nightstand and threw it across the room, where it smashed into the wall and broke apart. She sprinted downstairs and out the door, not even bothering to shower or eat breakfast, and jumped into her car. She took off and drove to the hospital, not even bothering to look at the speedometer as she did so. As soon as she was in a parking space at the hospital, she ran through the hospital's front doors and up to the reception desk.

"I need to see Ruby Rose!" she practically yelled.

"Your name please?" the receptionist replied, barely reacting to Yang's outburst.

"Yang Xiao Long. I'm her sister, and-"

"Very well, Miss Xiao Long." the receptionist replied. she then proceeded to read off a room number. "I'm afraid that Miss Rose isn't awake yet, however."

Yang walked away and started following the halls to an elevator. _Let's see. Her room should probably be on the top floor_. Yang pushed the button, and she felt the elevator start to rise.

When the doors opened, Yang started to walk quickly in the direction the signs led. After what felt like hours of walking, she finally found herself in front of the door that lead into Ruby's room. Yang took a deep breath, grabbed the door handle, and entered the room.

There, on the hospital bed, with a good portion of her head and body covered in bandages, a cast wrapped around her left arm, and another over her chest, lay a still unconscious Ruby. and sitting in a chair next to the bed was Weiss. The heiress slowly turned to face Yang. She had a number of small bandages on her face and arms, and her eyes were puffy and red from crying.

"Yang..." She said. Her voice was so faint that Yang could barely hear her.

Yang walked over. She could see Weiss flinch, bracing for Yang to hit her, but Yang simply wrapped her arms around the heiress, and hugged her firmly even as tears of her own started to slide down her cheek.

"Yang, I'm so sorry," Weiss said, choking on her words.

"It's...It's not your fault, Weiss," Yang replied. "It's not your fault."

* * *

Weiss spent the next three weeks at Ruby's side, only ever leaving to use the restroom. She had hardly eaten, and would spend every night crying, even long after she had fallen into a restless sleep. Others visited from time to time, with Blake and Yang visiting together every day for the first week, though Weiss spent the entire time by Ruby's bedside. During the entire time, Weiss hardly said a word to anyone, electing instead to silently wait for Ruby to wake up. None of the doctors had the heart to tell her to leave, so they let her stay and wait until she decided to exit of her own volition. She never did, and spent every waking hour watching the younger girl. Then, the last friday night before classes started again, Ruby finally started to stir. She attempted to sit up, only to painfully lay back down.

"Oh, good, you're awake," someone nearby said.

Ruby looked over to see a man dressed in a white coat standing near a table in the room.

"Uh, where am I?" Ruby asked, her voice slightly raspy from an obvious lack of use.

"Vale General. You've been unconscious for the past three weeks after you were involved in a car accident."

"Three weeks?" Ruby said, confused.

The doctor nodded. "You were in critical condition for a good portion of that time. She hasn't left your side the entire time you've been here," he said, nodding his head in Ruby's direction.

Ruby turned her head to see none other than Weiss Schnee sleeping with her head rested on her arms.

"Weiss?" Ruby said questioningly.

"I'll give you a few minutes alone," the doctor said as he bowed out.

Ruby shook Weiss gently. Weiss's eyes fluttered open and she slowly lifted her head to look at Ruby. She blinked several times, a confused look on her face. Weiss's eyes were criss-crossed with veins from crying almost nonstop, she had heavy bags under her eyes from an obvious lack of restful sleep, and her cheeks were puffy and red.

"R...Ruby?" she rasped slowly tilting her head.

Ruby smiled. "Yep! Right here, snow angel."

Weiss immediately burst into tears and threw her arms around Ruby gripping her as tightly as she could.

"Gah! Ummm...Weiss?" Ruby struggled out. "Ribs...broken...need...air..." Weiss slackened her grip slightly, even as she continued to sob into the cast on Ruby's chest. "Better," Ruby said as she laughed a little and wrapped her arms around Weiss.

They sat there for a minute, drinking in each other's presence, after being virtually separated for nearly a month.

Finally, Ruby spoke up again. "Weiss, you've gotten so thin! Have you eaten _anything_?" Weiss shook her head in Ruby's cast. "Well, that settles it then!"

"Settles what?" Weiss asked, her voice still sounding raspy.

"As soon as I get out of here, you and I are going to downtown Vale, buying the biggest and greasiest pizza we can find, and you are eating the _entire_ thing."

Weiss lifted her head and laughed, even as tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "Dolt. Only you could wake up from a three week coma and be worried about how I'm doing."

Ruby smiled as she hugged Weiss again. "You know it!"

"Excuse me, Miss Rose?" The doctor called, peeking into the room. "We've called your sister, and she is on her way."

"Okay!" Ruby replied with a smile.

Not even ten minutes later, Yang burst through the door, with Blake following closely behind. They found Weiss and Ruby still hugging, albeit much more gently than when Ruby had first woken up.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled as she ran up to her sister's side.

"Yang!" Ruby replied. "I'd get up and tackle you but-"

"You'd end up being the one on the ground?" Yang said with a laugh.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, there is that, but I also can barely move here."

Weiss released Ruby and turned to look at Yang. "Yang, I...I'm sorry that I got Ruby injured. I should have been more observant of what was going on."

Now it was Yang's turn to roll her eyes. "For the last time, Weiss, I told you that it's not your fault my parents were too busy fighting to drive."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Ruby asked.

Yang sighed. "Yeah I guess you have been kinda out of the loop for the past few weeks. Mom and dad have been fighting a lot since you got kicked out. Three weeks ago, when you were...When the accident happened, they were apparently in the middle of a particularly nasty argument, and dad wasn't paying attention to where he was driving. Anyways, that really was kinda the final straw for me. I decided to move in with Blake."

"Blake? You and Yang are living together?"

The Faunus nodded. "She asked if she could move in about a week after you were admitted here. We were about to leave the here, after finishing visiting you. Good thing she's already agreed to help cover the cost of living there. I've never seen someone empty a fridge that quickly."

"I was worried about my sister!"

"Which is why I didn't decide to find a way to lock the fridge."

Yang opened her mount to reply, but closed it almost immediately.

"Wait, don't you still live in that studio apartment Blake?" Ruby asked.

She nodded. "I don't mind though. Yang may be a brute with no end to her appetite-"

"Hey!

"-but I don't mind living with her."

"Not to mention the fact that you love me," Yang said with a grin.

"Yes, I suppose I do," Blake replied with a light smile.

"So, when do you get out of here, sis?"

"I think I can leave Sunday morning," Ruby replied. "After which, Weiss and I are going to get pizza, because _she hasn't eaten anything the entire time_!"

"Quiet, you!"

"Well, you haven't."

"Stop worrying about me you dunce!"

Ruby kissed Weiss. "I'll stop worrying about you when you stop being my girlfriend."

"Ugh, get a room, you two," Yang said.

"I've already got a room right here," Ruby replied. "_You_ can leave if you don't like it though."

Yang laughed as she checked her phone. "Well, Rubes, I've gotta go to work. I'll see you later."

"See you soon, Yang," Ruby replied with a smile.

With that, Blake and Yang walked out, leaving Weiss and Ruby alone again. Both girls sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So, don't you have places that you'd rather be?" Ruby asked finally.

Weiss chose to reply by simply kissing Ruby.

* * *

"Well, Miss Rose, you're free to go," the doctor said with a smile. "Just remember, try to avoid doing anything too strenuous, and you should be back to normal in no time."

Ruby stood from her bed slowly, testing her legs for what felt like the first time in ages. Almost as soon as she put any weight on them she started to fall, but was quickly caught by Weiss.

"I told you to be more careful, you dunce," Weiss said as she wrapped Ruby's arm around her shoulders.

"Heh, sorry Weiss," Ruby said with a blush.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's get you home."

"Not yet," Ruby said as they left the room.

"What do you mean, 'not yet?'"

"You _do_ remember that we were going to get pizza after I got out of here, right?"

"I don't recall ever agreeing to that," Weiss said.

"I also don't remember you ever declining the idea either." Ruby replied, sticking her tongue out as she did so.

"Ugh, fine," Weiss replied with an exasperated sigh. "But only because you _still_ haven't stopped nagging me about not eating enough."

* * *

Ruby prepared to lay down on the air mattress in the apartments bedroom.

"Man, it's been far too long since I've been here," Ruby said as she sat down.

"And just what do you think you're doing, dolt?" Weiss asked as she climbed into her own bed.

"Ummm...Going to sleep?" Ruby replied, confused.

"Not on that thing you're not."

"You mean you want me too..."

"Oh, just get over here!" Weiss said.

Ruby nervously shuffled over to Weiss's bed and climbed in beside the heiress. She wrapped her arms around Weiss's body and let her eyes flutter closed.

"Honestly, I don't know what you're so worried about," Weiss muttered as she snuggled up to Ruby. "This isn't any different that when we were at my parents' house."

"Well, you _live_ here," Ruby replied. "It's not like we're going to be sleeping in a different bed in a week."

"Just go to sleep, dunce."

Rub smiled and kissed the back of Weiss's head. "Okay, princess. I love you."

Weiss smiled even as she rolled her eyes. "I love you too, Ruby," she whispered.

* * *

**A/N: So...Guys? Interesting fact: this story is in the top 100 MOST FOLLOWED ON THE SITE UNDER THE RWBY HEADING. WHAT. I DON'T EVEN. You guys _seriously_ rock! Thanks everyone for the sheer amount of support you've given this little hobby project of mine! Also, quick shout out to NobleMETA's story "Forever" for inspiring both this and Wounded Rose part 1. In the unlikely event you haven't read META's stuff, DO IT. NOW.**

**With all that said and done, next on the list is chapter six of Flight of a Rose, with this story's chapter 16, which will involve Ruby's birthday, coming soon after! Until then!**


	16. Ch 16: Happy Birthday

Ruby's eyes fluttered open expecting to find Weiss still laying next to her. When she found nothing but an empty bed, she let out a disappointed sigh, and started to get out of bed, only to find herself staring at Weiss as she walked into the room with an entire plate full of cookies.

"Happy birthday, Ruby," She said with a smile.

"What? How did you know? I'm pretty sure I didn't tell you." Ruby asked.

Weiss gave a shrug as she placed the plate of cookies on the nightstand next to the bed. "I asked Yang the Friday before Spring break started. She said, and I quote, 'On Monday. Why? Did she not tell you?'"

"Heh, yeah must've slipped my mind," Ruby said as she scratched the back of her head a little nervously.

"Well, while you eat those," Weiss said, as she pointed at the plate, "I've go a couple more things to get you, so I'll be right back."

Ruby picked up the first cookie and smelled it, humming lightly as she took in the fresh-backed scent. Several minutes later, Weiss walked back in, only to find the plate completely empty, and Ruby smiling as she lay on the bed.

"Well, that was fast," Weiss quipped as she walked over to the bed again.

Ruby grinned. "Well, you did make my second-favorite food."

"Second?" Weiss asked, a little confused.

"Yeah, strawberries are actually my favorite."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I should have known. Red, after all."

"Plus, they kinda look like little roses," Ruby giggled.

Weiss shook her head and sighed, even as she smiled. "Dolt."

"Yep! And, don't forget, I'm your dolt."

Weiss laughed. "Yes, you're my dolt." She picked up the larger of the two packages she was carrying. "Anyway, go ahead and open it."

Ruby immediately tore into the wrapping paper. As soon as she got the paper off, her eyes immediately went wide.

"Weiss, holy shit!" she exclaimed. "These graphics cards aren't even publicly available yet! How'd you even get these?"

Weiss gave her a cunning smile. "There are quite a few people who owe the Schnee family favors."

Ruby leapt from the bed with the boxes and ran over to her computer. "I gotta get these installed!" she practically yelled.

"What, you're not going to open your second gift?" Weiss asked, lifting a much smaller box into view.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Ruby said as she shuffled back over.

Weiss rolled her eyes and handed the package to Ruby, who took the package and started to tear the paper. When the last strip peeled away, Ruby sat staring at the long, thin box in her hand. Slowly, she opened the box, revealing a shimmering silver necklace, with a snowflake adorned with rubies around the points. Ruby's mouth hung agape, and her eyes went wide as she stared at the necklace.

"Weiss, this is...This must've cost a fortune!" she said as her eyes began to tear up.

The heiress hugged Ruby gently. "Well, you're worth it, Ruby," she replied gently.

"Thanks, Weiss," Ruby said as she returned the hug. "I love you so much."

"I know you do, dolt," Weiss replied with a smile. "So, is there anything else you want to do today?"

"Well, I want to get these graphics cards installed first," Ruby replied. "And, I was thinking maybe we could go out to that restaurant we had our first date at later for dinner."

Weiss nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Would you like some help getting the cards installed?"

"Have you ever installed a new graphics card into a computer before?"

"No," Weiss replied, shaking her head. "But how hard can it be?"

* * *

Ruby finished putting her computer's case back together when she suddenly heard a knock on the door of Weiss's apartment.

"Weiss?" she called.

"I'll get it," Weiss replied as she stood from the table in the kitchen that they had the computer on. She walked over to the door, and cracked it slightly.

"Yang?" she asked.

"Yep!" Yang replied as she pushed past Weiss and into Weiss's apartment.

"I take it you're here to see Ruby?" Weiss asked with an exasperated sigh as she opened the door to allow Blake into the room.

"Yeah, it is my little sis's birthday," Yang replied as Blake followed her into the apartment.

"Yang!" Ruby said as she leapt up to run over to her sister and hug her.

"Hey Rubes!" Yang replied as she hugged Ruby back. "Happy seventeenth!"

Ruby giggled. "Thanks."

"Another year older," Blake said. "How does it feel?"

Ruby shrugged as she broke away from Yang's hug. "Doesn't feel a whole lot different. Maybe next year?"

"Perhaps," the raven-haired faunus replied, as she gave Ruby a smile. "Well, happy birthday all the same, Ruby."

"Thanks, Blake."

"Hey, Rubes, I've got something for you!" Yang called.

Ruby walked over to Yang, who had crashed on Weiss's couch.

"What's up?" she asked as she stood in front of the blonde.

"Well, while I'm sure it's probably not as impressive as that piece of jewelry the Ice Queen got you..." Ruby blushed. "I managed to convince dad to write this." Yang pulled a small piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Ruby.

Ruby stared wide-eyed at the check in her hands. "Yang...This...This is...That's enough money for me to get started at my own place."

Yang smiled. "Yep. Turns out that's actually what mom and dad were fighting about when you were...Before the accident. Dad wanted to give you some money to get started, but mom was solidly against it."

"So, how did you convince her?"

Yang cracked her knuckles. "Let's just say we had a rather...energetic debate about it."

Ruby hugged Yang tightly. "Thank you so much! Now I'll finally be able to get my own place, and Weiss can have her apartment back."

Weiss stood back, a little stunned. _But maybe I don't want you to leave_.

* * *

"So, did you have a good birthday?" Weiss asked as she snuggled up to Ruby while laying in her bed.

Ruby nodded as she wrapped her arms around Weiss. "I loved every minute of it. Your gifts, dinner, all of it."

"Well, I'm glad," Weiss said with a smile as she closed her eyes.

Ruby squeezed Weiss a little. "Want to know what the best part of it was?"

"What?"

"Spending the entire day with you," Ruby replied with a grin.

Weiss blushed. "Dolt." Ruby just continued to smile, causing Weiss to roll her eyes. "So you said you might be moving out?"

Ruby let out a gentle sigh. "Yeah, I'll probably start looking for my own place when summer break begins. So, you'll just have to deal with me until then," Ruby replied with a light giggle.

"Ruby, I..." Weiss paused. _Come on Weiss, get yourself together. It can't be that hard to tell her that you don't want her to leave. Just a few simple words. Okay, here it goes_. "I love you." Dammit.

Ruby giggled. "I love you too, princess."

Eventually, Weiss felt Ruby's breathing begin to slow, and it was replaced by soft snores. Weiss sighed. "I don't want you to leave," she whispered, as tears trickled down from her eyes. "I love living with you, and I couldn't stand it if you go. Please, say you'll stay."

* * *

**A/N: Well. Here's this. At the end of one of the worst weeks I've had in a long time. Sorry if that's affected my writing negatively. Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with the details. Just been a little difficult recently is all. Meh. Not to mention the fact that I lost my internet connection when I tried to save all of the edits I made.**

**Anyways, the poll for Flight of a Rose is still up on my profile. Go and vote if you haven't already. It will be up for about 24 more hours, after which I will close it but leave it up on my profile for you guys to view the results.**

**With all of that said and done, please stay tuned for chapter 7 of Flight of a Rose, followed by chapter 17, Say You'll Stay, the chapter that this entire story was born from, here! As always, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited! You all are awesome! See you all next time!**


	17. Ch 17: Say You'll Stay

Weiss looked at the clock in her economics room and sighed. It was already close to eight at night, and she was still not done yet. She looked out of a nearby window and across the rapidly-darkening street where her apartment lay.

_I hope Ruby doesn't mind if we just go out and eat somewhere simple tonight_, Weiss thought. _ I know that she wanted to do something special, given the fact that we've been together for six months now, but I'm really not up for making anything for dinner tonight. Oh, who am I kidding. Ruby will be perfectly happy no matter what we do._

Weiss smiled to herself. If someone had told her when she met Ruby that the two would wind up friends, she would have laughed at them for being such an idiot. If someone would have told her that she would end up dating the lovable dolt, she would have gone back to her apartment, grabbed her rapier, and run them through on the spot. Yet, here she was, sitting in a late-night economics final, and all she could think about was Ruby.

Politely excusing herself to go to the restroom, Weiss stood from her seat, exited the room and pulled out her phone to send a text to Ruby.

_Hey Ruby_, she started. _It's going to be about another thirty minutes or so before I leave here. Please don't burn down the apartment while I'm gone._

She stood and waited for a short while waiting for Ruby's reply. When she decided that the girl was probably on one of her games or sleeping, Weiss simply turned back to the door. Just as she reached to open it, however, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

_Ok,_ the message from Ruby read. _See ya then! Love you!_

Weiss sighed affectionately. She opened the door and sat down as she once again placed her pencil on the test paper.

* * *

Weiss walked into the apartment building and over to the elevator. She stepped into the closet-sized space and pushed the button for her floor, wearing a faint smile knowing that she was about to see Ruby. Fishing into her pocket for her key, she saw no light coming from underneath the door. Suspiciously, she unlocked the door and slowly opened it, revealing a room lit only by the faint, warm glow of a flickering candle. Looking in the direction the light was coming from, she saw someone standing by the kitchen table. She was wearing a long, elegant dress that hugged her thin form, and was black as the midnight sky with deep, crimson trimming, In her hands, contrasting sharply with the dress she currently wore, was a single, white rose.

"Welcome back, Weiss," Ruby said, her voice just barely above a whisper.

_Oh my god_, Weiss thought. _Is this really happening?_

"Umm...Hi...Ruby," Weiss stammered out.

Ruby softly wove the rose into Weiss's hair as she took the white-haired girl by the hand and led her over to the table. As she pulled out a chair for the heiress to sit in, Ruby planted a gentle kiss on Weiss's cheek.

"I'll be back in just a moment," Ruby whispered as she stepped away.

_Did she really do all of this just for me?_ Weiss thought. _How long did it take her to set this up?_

"Here you go, Weiss," Ruby said as she placed a plate of delicious-looking steak in front of her.

"Wow, this looks delicious Ruby," Weiss said.

"Heh, thanks," Ruby replied with a light giggle. "You wouldn't believe how many videos I had to watch to learn how to get your steak just right."

Weiss bit into her steak and hummed lightly at how delicious it tasted. After several minutes of eating silently, Weiss finally set her fork down on her empty plate.

"Ruby," Weiss said, looking over the candle and into Ruby's shimmering silver eyes, "That was some of the best steak I've ever had."

"I'm glad you liked it," Ruby said with a cheerful smile

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm starting to feel rather tired and-"

"Not so fast," Ruby said as she took Weiss by the arm and lead her over to the living room.

Ruby tapped her phone, which was hooked up to a set of speakers, and music stared to play, beginning with a soft piano-like rhythm.

"May I have this dance?" Ruby asked, holding her hand to Weiss. She blushed and took Ruby's hand, and started they started to slowly dance, just as a light choir flourish began. Suddenly, as Ruby gently lead Weiss into a slightly more open area, the vocals started.

_I like the way your eyes look into mine,_

_I like how it feels when you smile,_

_I like the way you watch me when I walk away,_

_Say you'll stay..._

Weiss blushed heavily as she and Ruby continued to dance, gently swaying to the rhythm of the music.

_I like to feel your breath on my face,_

_I like to swim around in your good grace._

_I like how your lips taste._

_Say you'll stay..._

Weiss continued to let Ruby lead her, as the younger girl moved through the room with a surprising amount of grace.

_Say...you will stay._

_Say...you'll stay!_

Weiss looked into Ruby's shimmering, silver eyes and smiled gently as the pair flowed with the music in the darkened room.

_I like how I don't expect anything from you._

_You surprise me daily through and through._

_I like how you listen to what I say._

_Say you'll stay,_

_Say you'll stay._

Ruby gave Weiss a light twirl as the song continued.

_I like to feel your breath on my face,_

_I like to swim around in your good grace!_

_I like how your lips taste._

_Say...you will stay._

_Say...you will stay!_

Weiss gently rested her head on Ruby's chest and closed her eyes, as they let the music continue to set the rhythm.

"So, when did you learn to dance like this, Ruby?" Weiss asked as softly as she could, so she would only just be heard over the song.

"The past few weeks," Ruby replied with a light giggle. "I've been watching a _lot _of videos while you were in class."

They both continued to dance until almost all of the background instruments suddenly cut away, leaving only the vocalist.

_I like the way your lips taste..._ she whispered.

Both girls stood there looking into each other's eyes for a moment. Weiss felt her heat beat once. Twice. Suddenly, she was pulled into a tight embrace by Ruby, and the couple began to kiss rapidly. Weiss gently pulled Ruby back into her bedroom as their kisses quickly became more and more frantic. As they fell back onto the bed, there was only one thing going through Weiss's mind.

_I love this girl._

* * *

"Well," Ruby said between labored breaths, "That was a thing."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Ugh, when did I crawl into bed with Yang?"

"Hey!"

Weiss laughed as she curled up to Ruby, enjoying the feeling the girl's soft skin. They both lay there for several moments, continuing to catch their breath.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked suddenly.

"Yeah, Weiss?"

Weiss took a deep breath. _This is it_. _Now or never_, she thought. "I," she paused for a moment. "I don't want you to move out."

Ruby sat up, exposing her thin form, which caused Weiss to blush. "You what?"

"I want you to live here with me," Weiss said, shifting a little and propping her head on her arm. "I know you said that you were planning on moving out, but I'd rather you stay here with me. I know that it wouldn't be much of a change from how we are right now, but you'd be living here. Officially, I mean."

"Weiss, are...Are you sure?"

Weiss kissed Ruby on the cheek and looked into Ruby's gleaming eyes. "Of course I'm sure."

Ruby smiled and hugged her girlfriend. "Well, in that case, I'd love to stay."

Weiss smiled as well and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, again reveling in the feeling of Ruby's soft skin against hers. _This is it_, she thought as she closed her eyes and started to drift off to sleep. _This is the dream_.

* * *

**A/N: Well, this is it: the entry that started this entire story. If you don't mind, I'd like to kind of explain what I mean by that. It all started when I was listening to Stay, by Two Steps From Hell (all credit for the song used in this entry goes to Thomas Bergersen and Two Steps from Hell), a trailer music company that usually does orchestral music. When the song finished, that sort of inspired the dance scene that Ruby and Weiss had here. Then I figured, 'why not, I'll go ahead and write a story around that.' So, I began planning a one-shot, based primarily around parts of Confessions part 1 and 2, Rose Sheltered by Snow, and this chapter. But when I finally sat down to write it, I decided I wanted to go into a little more detail about the relationship than a one-shot would really allow, so I decided to write this as a multi-chapter work. Originally, it was intended to be about 7 or 8 chapters, with this one being the last chapter. Anyway, cue time for me to sit down and actually start writing chapter one. it took me about two weeks to write, because I had figured that it would get about the same following that Beacon's Shade received, so I didn't really have a whole lot of motivation.**

**Flash forward to the night of August 12. I finally finished the first chapter, and uploaded the document file to the site. It was getting rather late, however, so I decided that I'd edit and post it the next day. Well, the next morning arrived, and I started editing the story. I finished about half-an-hour later and prepared to actually post the story. However, once I had all of the fields filled out and everything was ready, something stopped me from actually posting it. I just hovered my cursor over the button for a minute or so before finally just moving on and doing something else, leaving my browser open. Cut another few hours forward, and I'm about to go to work. Just as I'm about to shut my computer down so I can be to work by 4, I see the browser still up. Finally, I decide, 'eh, f*** it,' and post the story. Well, after a particularly s***ty day, the dinner rush finally slowed down at about 8, and I went out to clean the dining room. As I'm about to go back behind the counter I decide to check the time on my phone. I saw that I had an e-mail, so I check my notifications. Turns out I had about 8. All of them were from : follows, favorites, and reviews. The next morning, I had even more. That was when I decided to make this basically a full-blown novel. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is this: thank you, all of you, being the most awesome audience ever.**

**In addition, I'd also like to give a quick couple of shout outs here:**

**First, shout out to ****RedMage101** for being the 200th follower

**Next, shout out to ****asler1961** for being the 100th favorite

**Third, dual shout outs to Tear of Light and Hazzamo for being consistent in posting reviews for almost every chapter.**

**Lastly, shout outs for everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed. You all are the reason this thing is still going strong.**

**Once again, I really can't thank you all enough for your support! You guys are the best. Up next, Chapter eight of Flight of a Rose, followed by Chapter 18 of this story! Stay classy folks!**


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